As new modes of technology-driven learning come to the fore, those who can take advantage of them will be both independent learners and critical thinkers. But below that surface, something that connects much of this work is philosophy, or more specifically, how to make philosophical principles relevant in today’s world.
Fixing Our Beliefs
How do you balance intellectual humility, which asks that you resist the urge to insist you’re right, even when you might be wrong; and intellectual courage, which asks that you to stick to your guns, even if your argument receives a setback?
Critical Voter
This year’s bizarre election might confirm that we are entering a post-factual age, or that some other major cognitive or political transformation is happening to our species or polity. But before jumping to such a conclusion, perhaps it’s worth looking at today’s scorched political landscape based on similar first principles.
PEL’s Presidential Endorsement: Naked Political Partisanship
Every once in a while, a listener of The Partially Examined Life complains that that our liberal political proclivities — and occasional outright partisanship — are not consistent with our being philosophical, which should make us more neutral about such matters. I disagree. I do agree – after listening recently to the first few PEL episodes – that in the Continue Reading …
PREVIEW-Episode 65: The Federalist Papers
On Alexander Hamilton/James Madison’s Federalist Papers (1, 10-12, 14-17, 39, 47-51), published as newspaper editorials 1787-8, plus Letters III and IV from Brutus, an Anti-Federalist. What constitutes good government? These founding fathers argued that the proposed Constitution, with its newly centralized (yet also separated-by-branch) powers would be a significant improvement on the Articles of Confederation, which had left states as the ultimate sovereigns.
Topic for #65: Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers (originally published as just The Federalist) are a collection of essays published in newspapers in 1787-1788 arguing for the ratification of the American Constitution. Each was published under the pseudonym “Publius” though most were written by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. (There are a few written by John Jay.) They were collected and published in groups during Continue Reading …