Up@dawn 2.0

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Questions for 9/3 Section 10

FQ:
1. In his book, Joy of Walking, Donald Curloss Peattie states: "Time is not money; time is an opportunity to _________."

2. What is the name of the school that Aristotle founded in Athens?

3. Jay Allison and his partner, Dan Gediman, say "their goal (with TIB) is not persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs." What is their goal?

DQ:
1. Does the presence of time and human mortality influence your philosophical views?

2. Do humans, by nature, seek only to satisfy their own desires in life? If no then what do humans seek (if anything)? If yes, then why do the viewpoints of others matter?

3. Is walking the only way to stimulate philosophic thinking? Is it the best?


On the TIB website I found an eloquent and thought provoking essay submitted by Albert Einstein regarding the moral obligations of the individual. I suggest listening to the great narration job done by long time NPR correspondent and Radiolab co-host, Robert Krulwich.

FQ'S and DQ's Section 13

Kyle Shortman (13)

Factual Questions
1. aside from the peripatos in the Lyceum grounds, where could the word "Peripatetic" have been derived from?
2. What is the definition of "Reconnoitre"

Discussion questions
1."Time is not money; time is a an opportunity to live before you die. So a man who walks, and lives and sees and thinks as he walks, has lengthened his life." According to Donald Culross Peattie's quote from Joy of Walking, how does walking, extend one's life, beyond being a healthy physical habit? 

FQ and DQ for 9/3 Section 10

I'm Francisco Pezzimenti from Section 10, I didn't know where to publish this questions. I hope it is fine here.

FQ:
1) What was the Lyceum?
2) Who closed all the philosophical schools in Athens on AD 529?
3) What does reconnoitering mean?

DQ:
1) Would you have closed all philosophical schools in Athens on AD 529? Why?
2) Do you agree with Donald Curloss Peattie's quote ''time is not money...''?
3) Do you agree with the thought that when we walk outdoors and discuss thinks of life we are more exposed to the environment, and because of this exposure our perception of the problem discussed may change?

Saturday, August 30, 2014

AUTHOR AUTHOR!

Looking for posts from all 12 authors selected by their groups on Wednesday and Thursday to post brief summaries of their groups' first encounters. Only three of you have done so, as of Saturday morning. Where are the rest of you? If you've opened your email invitation you should see "New Post" in the upper right. Click it.

Post something, please, so everyone can "comment" and add their FQs, DQs, links etc.

Starting Tuesday we'll make sure that always happens before we leave class.

Meanwhile, everybody, post those FQs etc. anywhere you like... but post 'em before Tuesday.

If you've forgotten where to find Tuesday's assignment: always look under "Next" in the right margin.

If you're having technical difficulties posting, please send your stuff to a classmate or to me to post for you.

See you in class. Have a happy Labor Day.

JPO

Friday, August 29, 2014

Socratarians Section 9

Thursday, we started off introducing ourselves to one another, primarily through first names, followed by an attempt to name our team. That epic attempt seemed to be a success phonetically, as we had created a brand new word: Socratarians. However, we as a group did not have much knowledge on the subject of the philosopher our name was derived from, Socrates. After we had realized we were okay with this indiscretion, we moved on to our personal beliefs of what philosophy really is, and although we may have all said something different, I distinctly remember a lot of "how you think"  as part of the"definition." And then, we embarked on a new journey of finding "our philosophy" through an online, seven question, questionnaire found on one of the most trusted websites: Google. Sadly, we ran out of time and could not finish.

August 27, 2014 Section 13 G. 1

Due to the regrettable lack of preparedness, our group was not able to discuss the reading; however, we did discuss explosions on campus, we introduced ourselves to one another, and we got acquainted with one another. All in all, though the classwork had not been completed we were able to come together and discuss life and problems with the universities alert system.  

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Group 2 Section 14

Today in class we got to know each others names, we discussed fraternity/sorority life, and how to use the "Runs" system. 

Carlin the philosopher

I don't mean Carlin Romano, either.

Posted for Billy Q. from sec.10 (see his Intro below). I just read a George Orwell essay last night from 1946, talking about euphemistic language that allows people and governments to lie, bullshit (see the famous Harry Frankfurt essay below), to engage in what he later called (in "1984") "Doublespeak." I'll bet George read it too. Good stuff. (Which reminds me of another terrific Carlin routine...)

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Introductions

Let's introduce ourselves, Fall 2014 CoPhilosophy collaborators (I'll tell you in class Monday/Tuesday why I call the Intro class "CoPhilosophy").

I'm Dr. Oliver. I've been teaching in the Philosophy Department at MTSU for over a dozen years. My Ph.D. is from Vanderbilt, my undergraduate degree is from the University of Missouri. I grew up near St. Louis. Besides this one I teach courses on Bioethics and Environmental Ethics, the Philosophy of Happiness, and Atheism. My favorite philosopher is William James. I like his definition of philosophy ("an unusually obstinate attempt to think and speak clearly") and his approach ("the philosophy of 'Co-'").


I live in Nashville. My wife is a chiropractor. We have a daughter in college and another in High School. We have two dogs (Lilli the lab & Angel the hybrid) and a cat named Zeus. My favorite daily diversion is walking the dogs, followed by biking and swimming. I am unreasonably devoted to Cardinals baseball. I do not approve of major collegiate athletics and football. (But, go Raiders!)


 I invite you all to hit the "comments" button below and post your own introductions. (Be advised, this is an open site. Be as discrete as you think prudent.) Tell us who you are, why you're here (on the planet, in this state, in this class), who your favorite philosopher is or what you think Philosophy is ("I don't know yet" is an acceptable answer), and anything else you'd care to add. Please remember to include your section number.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

"What will your verse be?"



Robin Williams forgot, or lost the ability to remember, what he learned from Mr. Keating: a small shift in perspective can make all the difference. Let's not forget: the powerful play goes on, and we can contribute a verse.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

What College CAN Do

It can't fix "modernity," it can't give you a soul. But (I say) it can make you more spiritual and soulful (depending on what you mean by that, of course; I mean more alive, more sensitive to the natural conditions and possibilities and preciousness of life) and it can make you smarter about things you never would have considered. That goes for the Ivy League, for Tiny Liberal Arts College, and for Enormous State University alike.

But it's true: you've got to do the reading.
"Part of the value of a humanistic education has to do with a consciousness of, and a familiarity with, the limits that you’ll spend the rest of your life talking about and pushing against. So it’s probably natural for college students to be a little ironic, a little unsettled. It’s time, meanwhile, to admit that the college years aren’t for figuring out some improvised “sense of purpose.” They’re more like a period of acclimatization—a time when realizations can dawn. If you’re feeling uneasy about life, then you’re doing the reading."
What College Can’t Do - The New Yorker