A recent CNN article reports on voters who are traditionally Republican but are feeling conflicted during this election because they have either directly or indirectly benefited because of ObamaCare. Disclaimer: I assume you could find such an issue with either party and voters on both sides. I’m addressing this particular article because it is the… Continue reading Voting and Critical Thinking
Category: Critical Thinking
On Disagreeing
A friend of Philosophy Matters recently linked me to an interesting article discussing new funding opportunities for philosophers researching some of the “Big Questions.” Research funding for philosophers is something that has, essentially, never happened before. Now multi-million dollar grants are being awarded for looking at questions regarding free will and immortality. First and foremost, I’m thrilled… Continue reading On Disagreeing
Todd Akin, Abortion, and Critical Thinking
As I was listening to a recent NPR story on the remarks of Todd Akin, what stood out to me was how out of touch this whole conversation was, and how little follow-up there was to seemingly illogical responses. Consider the following examples: “I think the underlying notion that we should be making decisions on… Continue reading Todd Akin, Abortion, and Critical Thinking
Does Truth Matter?
The current political situation in the U.S. frustrates me to no end. A recent NRP report suggests one of the reason things might be so problematic: not only do campaigns not seem to care abpout the truth – people seem to be ok with the fact that this is happening. Here are two examples from… Continue reading Does Truth Matter?
The Digital Divide Re-Examined
A common theme in research on teaching and technology is that there is a Digital Divide between generations: digital natives are those younger than about 30 years old, who have grown up with technology. Digital Immigrants are those older than that who have had to learn technology tools such as computers when they were already… Continue reading The Digital Divide Re-Examined
Philosophy Matters Book Club: John Dewey
Today, I’m happy to introduce yet another recurring post, the Philosophy Matters Book Club. Each week we will be looking at a short work or a portion of a book. I would love it if you could read along with us, but even if you’re not able to, my plan is to write about the… Continue reading Philosophy Matters Book Club: John Dewey
Staycation: Finding Obstacles to Living in the Present
This week I’ve taken my very first staycation. I was supposed to go on a trip to see a space shuttle launch with the vacation days I had put in for at work, but several factors added up to make it not seem as feasible. I had some car issues that were not fully resolved… Continue reading Staycation: Finding Obstacles to Living in the Present
My Battle with Quitting Soda (Episode 1): On Intuition
In my effort to live the good life, I decided on my birthday of last year to give up soda. Several years earlier, I had made the switch to almost exclusively drinking diet soda, but so many studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners used in these sodas are not only bad for you, but likely cause you… Continue reading My Battle with Quitting Soda (Episode 1): On Intuition