September 2017 Philosophy Walk (Environmental Ethics, Conservation & Preservation)

Part 1 of our 3-Part Fall Philosophy Walk Series on environmental ethics, conservation, preservation, hunting and hunting ethics, governance/policy and community took place on Sunday, September 24th on Merlin Nature Preserve.  And we couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous day!  The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and…

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August 2017 Philosophy Walk (The Democratic Institution & Machiavelli)

Our August Philosophy Walk took place on Sunday, August 20th at Dump Gulch and featured special guest speaker/philosopher-on-trail, Carroll College student Jacob MacDuff who explored a critical & very timely topic — i.e., the democratic institution.  A small crew of 4 — we set off for a hike, took in…

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June 2017 Philosophy Walk (How Our Values Shape Our Cities)

Our June philosophy walk was wonderful. Accompanied by superb weather, courtesy of mother nature, our group headed out at 9:30am from Reeder’s Alley for a fun journey around downtown Helena and discussion about philosophy, urban design & development, nature, architecture, place (what contributes to our “sense of place”), and values. …

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How Philosophy (And Technology) Can Help Us Reconnect With Nature & Why It Matters

How Philosophy (and Technology) Can Help Us Reconnect With Nature & Why It Matters Andrea Houchard & Marisa Diaz-Waian, Public Philosophy Journal (2016) – Under Review. ABSTRACT: The human connection to nature is an important issue in the world today. While it is rarely articulated as matter of public concern,…

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Merlin Philosophy Walks Featured in MWA Newsletter

We love Montana and the great outdoors!  That’s why we are thrilled to announce that we were recently featured in the Montana Wilderness Association‘s Wild Divide Chapter Newsletter! Please click here (or on the image to the left) for news about some important things happening in our area, including desired…

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Why a Walk in the Park is Good for Our Brains

Can walking in green, natural spaces (parks, outdoors, natural environments) improve your mental health?  Yes!  A growing body of research shows that being in nature does in fact lower stress levels, improve memory & enhance affect (mood).  But how exactly does it do this?  According to a recent study in…

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Why Walking Can Make You a Better Thinker

Merlin MCC | Why Walking Can Make You a Better Thinker

Ancient Greek philosophers believed there to be a deep, intuitive connection between walking and thinking (and writing).  Getting up and walking about (especially outdoors in nature) can make us better thinkers.  But is such a belief justified? In this pithy and insightful article, Feris Jabr (of the New Yorker) discusses…

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