Hegel

This is a great piece on reading Hegel, the notoriously difficult German philosopher. How to fake your way through Hegel Enjoy!

Preparing Classes

For a blog with the title, Thinking Outside the Classroom, it may seem strange that I am talking about preparing for some upcoming classes, but since this is part of my life as a philosopher I reserve the right to blog about it.

I have been spending some time preparing the materials for the three classes I'm teaching in the Fall semester. Prepping for the two logic courses this time has been much easier than the first time I prepped for logic last winter. It also helps that I will be using Copi rather than (the-book-that-shall-not-be-named-because-it-sucked), which I unfortunately used last semester. Prepping for the first year seminar (God: Is there one and how would we know?) is turning out to be a lot of fun, especially since it ties into much of what I have been writing for the past few years. As an undergrad and then as a grad student, I never wanted to pursue work in philosophy of religion, but I have realized more and more that it is an area I have a decent amount of competence in, and one where I have (unintentionally) spent a considerable amount of time writing, speaking, and thinking about lately.

My logic students will be using Copi, while the seminar students get to read selections from the anthology.

Summer Reading

 Well, those of us who are participating in the summer reading group have found that the consensus is to read Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. This will be my first foray back into analytic philosophy since 2010, so it should be interesting to see how it all turns out. Thankfully, Wittgenstein is a bit more poetic (in a Heideggerian sense) than most analytic philosophers.

Philosophical Summer Reading

Well, it's that time of year again, when students and teachers begin wrapping up the Spring semester and look forward to the relaxation of the summer break. Which means it is also the time of year to plan philosophical reading groups. Currently deciding what book or books to read with some friends, I find that I may have too many possibilities to choose from, but hopefully a consensus will arise soon as to what we shall read. In the meantime, enjoy the classic Germans vs. Greeks football match, courtesy of Monty Python.

Southwest Seminar in Continental Philosophy

From June 7-9, I will be attending the third annual Southwest Seminar in Continental Philosophy entitled, "Continental Philosophy in the Great Basin." Being held at Brigham Young University, this will be my first visit to the state of Utah. While attending the conference, I will present my paper, "The Person as Objective Subject." The paper focuses on the dichotomy between Sartre's and Buber's views on relationships and the human person. I bring in some of Wojtyla's (John Paul II's) work to show how there is middle ground between the two men where we find a more robust view of human relationships than some may think.  

Kierkegaard on Teaching

Every day I teach my logic students, I find Kierkegaard's statement to be more true.

"To be a teacher does not mean simply to affirm that such a thing is so, or to deliver a lecture, etc. No, to be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and the way he understands it." 

                                                                                                                   - Søren Kierkegaard

New Project

I have recently begun some preliminary work on a new project tracing the link between effective ethical theories and the philosophy of love. Drawing on sources as diverse as Scotus, Scheler, Levinas, Sartre, Wojtyla, Aristotle, Kierkegaard, and religious traditions, I hope to put together some type of initial presentation soon. Thinking of working some process philosophy into the discussion as well. This well could turn into an enormous project.