This week, many Christian denominations remember Bartolomé de Las Casas (1484-1566), who served as a missionary in the Indies. For example, here’s what the Evangelical Lutheran Church remembrance says about Bartolomé: A native of Spain, Las Casas first came to the Western hemisphere while serving in the military. Upon arriving in the West, Las Casas […]
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Liberal Arts Can Save The World
I was recently invited to Onondaga Community College near Syracuse to deliver an annual address hosted by the Honors College. The organizers found me online, and in spite of reading some of my posts on my dean’s blog and this blog, and even in spite of a live conversation by Zoom, they invited me anyway. […]
Continue ReadingRemembering Anselm of Canterbury
Yesterday, April 21, was the feast day of St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033/34—1109). As I did earlier this year with Thomas Aquinas, I want to take a moment to commemorate Anselm by sharing my relationship with him as a philosopher. Just about every semester, I teach introduction to philosophy, and in my course we spend […]
Continue ReadingAnd everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon. Recognize those lines? Yes, it’s from “Eclipse” by The Pink Floyd, the final track on Dark Side of the Moon. It also happens to be the epigram I chose for my dissertation on metaphysical method. Eclipses have played a significant role in human history, mostly because of […]
Continue ReadingYour Future Perfect Self
It’s not what you think. Excellencifying is not about achieving perfection, which is out of reach for finite, temporal beings like rational animals. It’s about how reflection on grammar can ground your relationship with a future version of you. Resist the temptation to run away at the mention of grammar. I’m not going to make […]
Continue ReadingThe Essay as an Act of Courage
With AI tools comes discussion posts and essays and other coursework written by – notice, by and not with the help of – chatbots. And with these artifacts comes the decision we professors must make about how to respond. This is my response, just one example. I’m guided here by my grandfather, who in imminently […]
Continue ReadingLord Ram and the colonization of conscience
I’ve been following the (Western English-language) news coverage of the dedication of the temple in Ayodya, and, in the spirit of religious literacy, I think there’s something about the choice of language that we should note. But first, some background. Let’s start with leader from Reuters: AYODHYA, India, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister […]
Continue ReadingChasing the AI Bogeyman
I spend a lot of my time in the halls of academia, where angst about AI has ramped up considerably in recent months. I see more and more instances of individual responses to student AI use, and as the numbers rise, so does the incoherence of our collective messaging. I decided to chase this bogeyman, primarily […]
Continue ReadingSing for your Bs
Each year, the church where I am organist takes one Sunday to celebrate music. Yesterday was Celebration of Music Sunday, and in a coincidence. Yesterday was our annual Celebration of Music (and happy mother’s day!), and in a striking coincidence, yesterday I happened on a fascinating article about — singing. Singing has been studied from […]
Continue ReadingBreathe Normally
In recent decades, more and more empirical studies have established the benefits of breathing. It may be hard to believe that something we do anyway can become a powerful tool for improving well-being, but that’s exactly the conclusion of many studies. For instance, a 2021 study in India involved teaching healthcare providers “SKY” (Sudarshan Kriya […]
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