I spend days doing science and some nights at a wonderful place called the Nature Research Center in Raleigh, North Carolina where they host the Science Café every Thursday night. This Thursday the museum was host to an exceptional speaker and herpetologist, Mike Dorcus. While joining a group of scientists, citizens and excited kids… Continue reading On memes and Burmese pythons
Author: lkawesome
The Philosophy of Science Fairs
This past weekend I went to my first science fair ever! It was the perfect culmination of the two things I have devoted my professional career to: science and education. It was so incredibly rewarding to see students so proud of the work they had accomplished in the world of science. While each generation has… Continue reading The Philosophy of Science Fairs
I don’t know. (And that’s OK)
Why is it so hard to admit we don’t know something? Scientists spend their lives asking questions and seeking answers; and if we don’t find the answer we pose a hypothesis, test a theory. All of these actions denote some sort of knowledge or background on a particular subject. What if we encounter an alien… Continue reading I don’t know. (And that’s OK)
The Philosophy of Comfort Food
What is it about a warm, familiar meal that brings peace to our lives? For some it is ice cream and hot fudge, lasagna or mashed potatoes; for me – it’s Matzo ball soup. I didn’t grow up in a Jewish household, nor did I ever consume this type of soup as a child, but as… Continue reading The Philosophy of Comfort Food
Are you a scientist? On Citizen Science and Experimental Philosophy
Are you a scientist? Interdisciplinary research brings in collaborators from different backgrounds. Each scientist approaches a problem with a different toolkit of experience and a different perspective. When we think of scientists we tend to think of a solitary activity – one person in a lab pipetting some sort of liquid from one container to… Continue reading Are you a scientist? On Citizen Science and Experimental Philosophy
Kickstarter and Aliens
Friends and colleagues met at a coffee shop/record store/bar/deli in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to celebrate the clicking of a button. It wasn’t just any button, it was a “launch” button for the newest Kickstarter project, “Philosophy Matters: Philosophy and the Good Life” interactive book! All of us hovered around the shoulders of JJ as he pressed… Continue reading Kickstarter and Aliens
On our fear of insects
Lately I’ve been dealing a lot with overcoming fears, tiptoeing outside of my comfort zone, and loss. What a downer. On the flipside, I spend a lot of my day thinking about ways that I can get people to like insects as much as I do… and I know for some of you reading this… Continue reading On our fear of insects
What Your Facebook Profile Picture Says About You
I. INTRODUCTION: While our inner thoughts, processes and philosophies are inside of us we can sometimes express those identifiers subconsciously. We’ve heard of left- and right-brained people; here’s an easy chart to help you understand what that means: What I want to know is if we can we use self-preferred photography or commissioned art to… Continue reading What Your Facebook Profile Picture Says About You
PSA for trampolines, puppies and symphonies
How do we know if we’re happy? How do we know if we’ve “made it”? We’ve been discussing happiness a lot over here at Philosophy Matters and to each of us it seems to mean something different. We can easily define what happiness isn’t (stress at work, loss of a job, debt, death in the family,… Continue reading PSA for trampolines, puppies and symphonies
10 Things All Girls Should Know How To Do Before Getting Their Driver License
Before getting my driver’s license it was important that I know how to do all of these things before setting off on my own. Having independence when driving is wonderful and freeing, but nothing stifles independence more than not knowing what to do when something unexpected happens. There is nothing worse than having to rely… Continue reading 10 Things All Girls Should Know How To Do Before Getting Their Driver License