Watching the recent political debates on gun control, and more importantly, how to handle the Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after his capture, I had a thought. Let me say right off the bat that I’m making some generalizations, and I am confident that there are many exceptions to these generalizations. However, I still want to… Continue reading The Slippery Slope – A Political Divide?
Category: Political Philosophy
Partisanship and George Washington
Merry Presidents’ Day! My what a week we’ve had: a meteor slammed into Russia, South African Olympian Blade Runner allegedly killed his model girlfriend, the Pope resigned, and Congress still can’t get along well enough to do anything of consequence (e.g., avoiding the sequestration) so they go on vacation instead. I suspect one of those… Continue reading Partisanship and George Washington
On Myths of Foreign Aid Spending in the U.S.
I ended my last post with a few questions, one of which included: What percent of the federal budget do you think is spent on foreign aid? As you can see in the graph above, the mean percentage response is 31, while the median is 25. Although the data in the graph above is from… Continue reading On Myths of Foreign Aid Spending in the U.S.
The Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Merry MLK Day! Many readers will probably be reading this post from the context of a leisurely holiday from work or school due to the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Perhaps some will have honored Dr. King by engaging in some sort of service activity during the day. Regardless, I hope everyone will take… Continue reading The Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Meme Analysis: Columbine Student’s Father 12 Years Later !!
Facebook Memes, Information Overload, and Religion in the Classroom Normally, I just don’t pay much attention to ridiculous memes on Facebook, and scroll past them with a “to each his own” attitude. However, a recent meme, in combination with a discussion that I had with fellow Philosophy Matters author, b0t, has gotten me thinking a… Continue reading Meme Analysis: Columbine Student’s Father 12 Years Later !!
Philosophy Book Club: Going Down
Full Disclosure: John Tuepker was my high school history teacher and is also the uncle of Philosophy Matters contributor Fr. Jimmy Morrison. Wide Ranging Although I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, what I found was a well-researched, thorough, and strong argument presented in a logical order, though the passion often overflows… Continue reading Philosophy Book Club: Going Down
Voting and Critical Thinking
A recent CNN article reports on voters who are traditionally Republican but are feeling conflicted during this election because they have either directly or indirectly benefited because of ObamaCare. Disclaimer: I assume you could find such an issue with either party and voters on both sides. I’m addressing this particular article because it is the… Continue reading Voting and Critical Thinking
On Disagreeing
A friend of Philosophy Matters recently linked me to an interesting article discussing new funding opportunities for philosophers researching some of the “Big Questions.” Research funding for philosophers is something that has, essentially, never happened before. Now multi-million dollar grants are being awarded for looking at questions regarding free will and immortality. First and foremost, I’m thrilled… Continue reading On Disagreeing
Film Friday: The Campaign
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you do not want plot details revealed. This week, I took some time out to actually go to the theater and see two of my favorites, Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, in The Campaign. The thing that really stood out to me in this film was the way that… Continue reading Film Friday: The Campaign
Todd Akin, Abortion, and Critical Thinking
As I was listening to a recent NPR story on the remarks of Todd Akin, what stood out to me was how out of touch this whole conversation was, and how little follow-up there was to seemingly illogical responses. Consider the following examples: “I think the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on… Continue reading Todd Akin, Abortion, and Critical Thinking