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Philosophy News &
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Current News Headlines & Stories United States -- World -- Business -- Science -- Technology -- Sports -- Entertainment -- Health You May Also Be Interested In Our Magazine Article Section: Philosophy & Deep Thought |
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Philosophy News includes news & commentary from around the world about general philosophy, applied philosophy, metaphysics, logic, ethics, cosmology, psychology, religion, political philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of education, and other topics which may have philosophical import. These are news items and editorial opinions; they do not necessarily reflect the views of The Radical Academy. NOTE: There will be no News Updates during most of the month of May because of Dr. Dolhenty's hospitalization for surgery. The Updates will continue as soon as he returns from the hospital. Last Update: The Left's Theft of the Open Society and the Scientific Method, by Jonathan David Carson: The Left misappropriates intellectual capital for perverse ends, in order to lend itself a veneer of respectability and befuddle its critics. According to the website of the Open Society Institute, the George Soros funded nerve-center of today's Left, "The term 'open society' was popularized by the philosopher Karl Popper in his 1945 book Open Society and Its Enemies. Popper's work deeply influenced George Soros, the founder of the Open Society Institute, and it is upon the concept of an open society that Soros bases his philanthropic activity." How to do Philosophy: [India] In high school I decided I was going to study philosophy in college. I had several motives, some more honorable than others. One of the less honorable was to shock people. College was regarded as job training where I grew up, so studying philosophy seemed an impressively impractical thing to do. Sort of like slashing holes in your clothes or putting a safety pin through your ear, which were other forms of impressive impracticality then just coming into fashion. Book Review -- Brain, Mind, and Human Behavior in Contemporary Cognitive ScienceReview - Brain, Mind, and Human Behavior in Contemporary Cognitive Science: Critical Assessments of the Philosophy of Psychology, by Jeff Coulter and Wes Sharrock -- Review by Keith Harris, Ph.D.: Both scientists and philosophers have a strong interest in understanding how it is that a brain, apparently made up of simple matter, has (seemingly) evolved to know and experience the world in which it exists. This issue has of course been a mainstay of philosophy throughout recorded history, but are we any closer to a satisfying approach? With the marvelous progress in the cognitive and neurological sciences in the past few decades, the relationship between mind and brain would seem a practical problem that may soon be unraveled. Note to Science - Philosophy is Your Friend -- Philosopher Robert Delfino offers science an alternative approach to evaluating evidence., by Greg Soltis: With its emphasis on evidence and focus on truth, philosophy provides several paths for science to follow. Robert Delfino proposes that the evidence -- not a preconceived understanding of nature -- should guide science's attempt to understand and categorize experimental results. "Our ideas must conform to the world," says Delfino, a professor of philosophy at St. John's University's Staten Island campus in New York City. "We cannot say that the world must conform to our ideas." A Note on Kant's Conception of Civil society, by Dev Raj Dahal: [Nepal] Immanuel Kant, the founder of German idealism, is the most creative thinker of Eighteenth Century who represents the enlightenment tradition of Rousseau and inspires the universal philosophy of humanity. His measures to resolve the Hobbesian state of nature in which individuals pursues their own judgment and interest found eloquent expression in civil society's propensity to work for public good. Religion, science and the third way, by Richard Denton: [UK] In any debate about science and religion, the American philosopher Dan Dennett has the advantage of looking uncannily like Charles Darwin. The good Lord Robert Winston, on the other hand, has the advantage of being a national treasure. They came together in the last debate in the Rethink series mounted by the Guardian and the think tank Agora to debate the motion that "religion is the greatest threat to scientific progress and rationality today". Selling God to Science, by Ashley Makar: The United Church of Christ has begun reaching out to scientists. Will skeptics trade in their lab coats for their Sunday best? ... Schaper doesn't appreciate the arguments -- from atheists and religious people on either side of the science-faith divide -- that God is diminished by science. For her, the fact that Genesis provides two accounts of how the world came to being (one cosmological, one more anthrocentric), implies that one story doesn't reveal the complexities of creation. Professor turns music promoter - Philosophy teacher uses his spare time to connect people to indie artists around town, by Shane Collins: The history teacher explains and the math teacher demonstrates. But as a philosophy teacher, James Woodbridge promotes indie bands. For this UNLV professor, teaching philosophy is a passion, while booking shows for bands ignites his love for music. Woodbridge's life began in the northeastern town of Glastonbury, where his love for the outdoors and music bloomed.... Students seek truth in philosophy: A professor I knew once said that, without philosophy, history is ``just one damn thing after another.'' In one way or another, he's right, and that has helped produce the unexpected surge in the number of college students who believe they need to read about Socrates now and worry about money and careers later. A New York Times story last week documented the apparently widespread trend of more college students majoring in philosophy. The story cited several examples of universities where the number of philosophy majors had swollen by as much as 50 percent or more in the past five years. Dialogue on Chinese philosophy and social harmony, by Natalie Leung: [Macau] The first forum on the Chinese philosophy of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism was staged at the University of Macau yesterday which saw the theatre packed with 700 students, academics and religious followers. The event, titled "The First Forum of Civilised Dialogue", saw three practitioners of Confucianism, Buddism and Taoism from mainland China and Taiwan talk about the relationship between Chinese culture and social harmony. The philosopher kingmaker, by Mark Oppenheimer: In 1989, Brian Leiter, then a graduate student at the University of Michigan, compiled a list of the best philosophy departments in American universities. He did no formal research or polls; his list was just based on his "gestalt sense" of what the top 25 programs were. He left the list in the library, and some friends passed photocopies to college students applying to graduate schools. Proponents say you can do a lot with B.A. in philosophy, by Michael O'Leary: Universities require undergraduate students to wrestle with the intricacies of -isms -- nihilism, utilitarianism, existentialism among them -- but students and professors are increasingly finding the life examined worthwhile. "What are my convictions worth if I don't have good reasons to back them up?" said Andrew Clapham, a Boston University College of Arts and Sciences junior who studies philosophy. "I see philosophy as a means to the truth, which is not some arbitrary answer to a tough riddle. Rather, it's a way of life." NI student wins national philosophy award: Grant Rozeboom, of Amana, a senior philosophy major and honors student at the University of Northern Iowa, won first prize at the recent Undergraduate Philosophy Conference at Dartmouth College. Rozeboom's winning paper, "Freedom Beyond Restraint: An Arendtian Critique of the Liberal Tradition," has already been published in Aporia, Dartmouth's undergraduate philosophy journal. Rozeboom's paper focuses on political philosophy, and specifically, the traditional definitions of political freedom. He says that he constructively criticizes these definitions using the work of Hanna Ardendt, a 20th century political theorist and philosopher. Responding to Hitchens - Morality can, but need not, come from religion, by Brian Lockhart: This week, I address his statement that religion is immoral. However, I wish to make a few points before I begin discussing this sensitive subject. First of all, as Hitchens describes himself as an anti-theist, I am not an anti-atheist. Nowhere in my column last week nor this week will I suggest that atheists need to undergo a mass conversion. I did not say that we all must have religion to function and I will not claim that atheists should become theists. Humanism to be taught in RE lessons: [UK] Teenagers will be able to study Humanism as part of a religious education GCSE for the first time, exam chiefs have announced. Draft proposals for a new "philosophy and ethics" course from exam board OCR cover lessons on issues such as euthanasia and abortion. Pupils taking the course will be encouraged to examine topics from the standpoint of Humanism - the rejection of religion in favour of reason and a belief in human potential - as well as the major faiths. The course includes units looking at different beliefs on topics such as the nature of good and evil, medical ethics and death and the afterlife. Speaker to interpret philosopher's theories, by Elizabeth Sehon: In 1882, German existentialist and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "God is dead and we have killed him," sparking outrage in Western society. That's one of his many radical ideas that will be interpreted by internationally renowned philosophers on campus this week. The symposium "Nietzsche and the Philosophical Life" will take place today through Saturday in Ed Landreth Auditorium. Nietzsche was a philosopher in the late 1800s who confronted the foundations of Christianity and traditional morality, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Web site. He is usually referred to as one of the first existentialists. Help wanted - Serious thinkers: [Canada] Once considered an academic pursuit of little practical value, philosophy is becoming an increasingly popular choice of major among university students. This is good news because it shows the ability to think critically is still valued. Enrolments in philosophy programs have been increasing in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States for much of the past decade. Lecture on morality, by Seth Grundhoefer: Over 200 people attended John Corvino's "Morality, Homosexuality and Diversity" lecture in Carter Hall on Tuesday presented by the Activities Programming Board (APB). Corvino, who holds a doctrine in philosophy from the University of Texas, has lectured for over 15 years in hopes of establishing healthier rhetoric on the topics of homosexuality and morality. Corvino has since written over 100 articles and opinion pieces on the subjects. "Morality is not a private matter, but people are afraid to impose, offend or step on each other's toes when we talk about morality," Corvino said. Philosophy instructor wins $200,000 grant for research project on logic, by Paul Rios: A philosophy instructor at Sacramento State brought a $200,000 grant to the university for his research project that interprets why logic is useful to solve difficult problems. Michael Epperson's research is based on the subject of his book that goes in depth about the problems people in the philosophy field are currently and have been facing. Epperson's goal with his research is not only to help solve the problems with fitting logic into quantum mechanics. The reason philosophers are so interested in the two subjects is that the same principles used to organize nature are used to organize our thoughts. German philosopher backs Archbishop in Sharia row, by George Conger: Jurgen Habermas has waded into the debate on Islam in Europe backing the line taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Temple lecture on Shariah law. In the "Dialectics of Secularisation," the noted German philosopher argued that Europe must adopt an inclusive, critical discussion on the role religion plays in public life through a dialogue in which all parties cooperate as equals for the purpose of achieving understanding. On Science and Its Truths, by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson: In 1961, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, and Professor Cyril Domb exchanged correspondence on the subject of Torah and Science. Professor Domb was a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University between 1952 to1954 and professor of theoretical physics at King's College, London, between 1954 to 1981. From 1981 to 1989 Domb was professor of physics at Bar-Ilan University, and remains professor emeritus there. He is also president of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. Law society should still teach ethics, say critics, by Nora Rock: [Canada] A Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) Bencher has said she is appalled by a proposed retreat by the LSUC from ethics teaching in the Bar Admissions program. "I think it is a retrograde step... We are doing the wrong thing. We are betraying the profession," said Bencher Heather Ross at a recent conference on legal ethics.
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