A recent article from Tomorrow’s Professor discussed a new model called Teaching By Walking Around, and looked at how this might be useful when looking at the differences between online and traditional classes: In the midst of a proliferation of cost effective online courses, universities will have to differentiate in order to charge a higher… Continue reading Teaching By Walking Around
Category: Philosophy
Moral Monday: Robots and Moral Decisions
A friend of Philosophy Matters recommended a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that raises some interesting questions about robots. One of the moral decisions that we as a society will have to make is whether or not we will allow robots to make moral decisions. The author insists that “Lethal autonomous systems are… Continue reading Moral Monday: Robots and Moral Decisions
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
Intentional Communities
JJ: This past week we watched and traveled to Fairhope, AL, which got us thinking a lot about intentional communities. I asked my friend Clay Parks to join our discussion. He’s looking to start an intentional community in Missouri. Below are his answers to the questions that we presented him. Clay: Tell us a little bit… Continue reading Intentional Communities
Moral Monday: The Trolley Problem and Your Mom
Before you ask, no, this week’s post isn’t a Your Momma joke! It’s another in a series of questions about the moral problem of the trolley. Last week’s poll was interesting; in the population at large, most people would choose to push the fat villain in front of the trolley in order to save the… Continue reading Moral Monday: The Trolley Problem and Your Mom
5 Reasons To Power Down During Dinner
Lately I’ve been very focused on food. It’s something that we probably don’t think about often enough but permeates pretty much every aspect of our lives and is a major focus of each and every day. I didn’t know anything about calories until college, and really didn’t start to expand my palate to include delicacies… Continue reading 5 Reasons To Power Down During Dinner
Hurricane Katrina: 7 years later
Hurricane Isaac will be making landfall 7 years to the date of the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I was three months into owning my first home when Katrina struck and rendered it unlivable for the next four months. Several things still stand out very strongly to me since then: Devastation emphasizes the importance of community. After… Continue reading Hurricane Katrina: 7 years later
Moral Monday: The Trolley Problem and the Fat Villain
This week, we are going to look at the third in a series of trolley-related moral dilemmas. In the first poll, the majority of you guys said you would flip a switch to divert a trolley headed toward five people toward only one instead. In the second poll, the majority of you said you would… Continue reading Moral Monday: The Trolley Problem and the Fat Villain
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