- ReasonIO, Ethics, Critical Thinking, and Consulting, Department Memberadd
- Philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, Anselm of Canterbury, Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes, and 41 moreHegel, Maurice Blondel, Max Scheler, Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Jacques Lacan, Alasdair MacIntyre, Martin Luther King Jr., Virtue Ethics, Political Theory, Ancient Philosophy, Hellenistic Philosophy, Neoplatonism and late antique philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Medieval theology (Medieval Studies), Phenomenology, Philosophy Of Religion, Religious Language, Prison Education, Critical Thinking, Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), Assessment, Authentic Assessment, Faculty Development, Christian Philosophy, Anger, Ancient Emotions, Problem Based Learning, Practical Reasoning, Lacanian theory, Digital Humanities, Academic Writing, History, Medieval Studies, Continental Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Medieval Theology, Monasticism, Thomism, History of Philosophy, Existentialism, and Stoicismedit
- A speaker, author, educator, and consultant, I bring philosophy into practice, making complex classic philosophical i... moreA speaker, author, educator, and consultant, I bring philosophy into practice, making complex classic philosophical ideas accessible for a wide audience of professionals, students, and life-long learners. People need frameworks, applications, and guidance to successfully incorporate those useful ideas into their own personal and professional lives, and I provide those with enthusiasm and competence. I also help people find and use philosophical resources to map out and make difficult decisions, understand and solve complex problems, and reorient their practice and projects into more positive directions.Having traveled down these paths myself, I know how powerful, exciting, and helpful well-understood ideas from philosophy can be for individuals and to organizations. Think of me as your expert guide, ready to lead you through the mountain ranges, metropolises, and labyrinths of an entire library of philosophical works, and bring you back not only having learned, but with a rucksack full of treasures and toolsWith two decades of professional experience as an educator, researcher, scholar, and internationally published author, I’ve developed and delivered high-impact educational content in a variety of formats and settings. I specialize in Ethics, Critical Thinking, Practical Reasoning, the History of Ideas, and Assessment of Student Learning.edit
Translations of key documents from the 1930s French Christian philosophy debates, representing contributions by Blondel, Gilson, Marcel, Sertillanges, and many others. Includes 96 page historical and thematic introduction and... more
Translations of key documents from the 1930s French Christian philosophy debates, representing contributions by Blondel, Gilson, Marcel, Sertillanges, and many others. Includes 96 page historical and thematic introduction and chronological bibliography ranging from the 1920s to the present.
I do not provide free copies of my book. You can purchase a copy at http://amzn.to/2x4VdWV
You can also find excerpts from the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/292792-reason-fulfilled-by-revelation
I do not provide free copies of my book. You can purchase a copy at http://amzn.to/2x4VdWV
You can also find excerpts from the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/292792-reason-fulfilled-by-revelation
Research Interests: Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy Of Religion, Marcel, Gabriel, 20th Century Philosophy, and 14 moreHistory of Roman Catholicism, Maurice Blondel, Thomism, Christian Philosophy, French philosophy, Roman Catholicism, Etienne Gilson, 20th Century Catholic Writers, Religious Studies, Faith and Reason, Jacques Maritain, Gabriel Marcel, Catholic Church History, and History of Philosophy
Interview about Stoicism, conceptions of nature, living in accordance with nature, and Friedrich Nietzsche
Research Interests:
The moral theory underpinning Anselm’s written works, sayings, and actions is not simple to classify, but there are good reasons to regard it as some type of virtue ethics, particularly given the stress he places on virtue and vice in the... more
The moral theory underpinning Anselm’s written works, sayings, and actions is not simple to classify, but there are good reasons to regard it as some type of virtue ethics, particularly given the stress he places on virtue and vice in the Letters and Prayers. What precisely was Anselm’s conceptions of virtue and vice, though, and how do they fit into other key aspects of his moral theory, for instance, his distinction of two inclinations of the will, one towards beneficial goods and happiness, the other towards justice?
Drawing upon the full Anselmian corpus (the published treatises, prayers, letters, vita, dicta, and de humanibus moribus) this paper reconstructs the general features of an Anselmian virtue ethics, looks at specific advice and instruction Anselm provides, examines several of the virtues and vices in greater detail, discusses justice, charity, and humility as architectonic virtues in Anselm’s scheme, and outlines the role divine grace plays in human virtue.
Drawing upon the full Anselmian corpus (the published treatises, prayers, letters, vita, dicta, and de humanibus moribus) this paper reconstructs the general features of an Anselmian virtue ethics, looks at specific advice and instruction Anselm provides, examines several of the virtues and vices in greater detail, discusses justice, charity, and humility as architectonic virtues in Anselm’s scheme, and outlines the role divine grace plays in human virtue.
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This paper adopts the philosophical approach of Stoicism as the basis for reexamining the cognitive and ethical relationship between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Stoicism sets out a clear criterion for the special moral status of human... more
This paper adopts the philosophical approach of Stoicism as the basis for reexamining the cognitive and ethical relationship between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Stoicism sets out a clear criterion for the special moral status of human beings, namely rationality. We explore to what extent Neanderthals were sufficiently rational to be considered "human". Recent findings in the fields of palaeoanthropology and palaeogenetics show that Neanderthals possessed high-level cognitive abilities and produced viable offspring with anatomically modern humans. Our discussion offers insights for reflecting on the relationship between humans and other forms of natural life and any moral obligations that result.
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Can God be entirely and supremely just and also entirely merciful, without these two characteristics ending up in contradiction with each other? Anselm of Canterbury considers this question in several places in his works and provides... more
Can God be entirely and supremely just and also entirely merciful, without these two characteristics ending up in contradiction with each other? Anselm of Canterbury considers this question in several places in his works and provides rational resolutions demonstrating the compatibility of divine justice and mercy. This paper considers Anselm's treatment of the problem in the Cur Deus Homo, noting distinctive features of his account, highlighting the seeming incompatibilities between mercy and justice, and setting out his resolution of the
problem.
problem.
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My central contention in this paper is that close attention to Hobbes’ text allows discernment of at least five differing conditions which can be called “states of nature." This study consists in exegetical development of a typology of... more
My central contention in this paper is that close attention to Hobbes’ text allows discernment of at least five differing conditions which can be called “states of nature." This study consists in exegetical development of a typology of states of nature distinguishable in the text of Leviathan:
1) a rhetorical construct state of nature as war of all against all, lacking any of the institutions of civilization and civil society
2) historically existent “state(s) of nature” in pre-political societies, where family, patron-client, clan, or tribal structures are in conflict with each other
3) historically existent “state(s) of nature” within established civil societies where, despite enforcement of laws, citizens still remain in amistrustful condition vis-à-vis each other, i.e. concerned about possible crime
4) the historically existent “state of nature” governing foreign relations, i.e. the condition of states in relation to each other
5) historically existent and possible “state(s)” of nature that culminate in civil war with the breakdown of civil society through factionalization.
1) a rhetorical construct state of nature as war of all against all, lacking any of the institutions of civilization and civil society
2) historically existent “state(s) of nature” in pre-political societies, where family, patron-client, clan, or tribal structures are in conflict with each other
3) historically existent “state(s) of nature” within established civil societies where, despite enforcement of laws, citizens still remain in amistrustful condition vis-à-vis each other, i.e. concerned about possible crime
4) the historically existent “state of nature” governing foreign relations, i.e. the condition of states in relation to each other
5) historically existent and possible “state(s)” of nature that culminate in civil war with the breakdown of civil society through factionalization.
Research Interests: Social Theory, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Ethics, 17th Century & Early Modern Philosophy, and 15 morePolitical Theory, Early Modern History, Social Philosophy, Social Contract Theory, Conflict, Hobbes, Political Science, Politics, Thomas Hobbes, Moral Philosophy, History Of Modern Philosophy, Early Modern Philosophy, State of Nature, History of Philosophy, and The State of Nature In Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau
Jacques Lacan was constantly and consistently motivated by the aims of carrying out, improving, and critically understanding psychoanalytic practice and theory. In his work and teaching, he examined and (re)incorporated a number of key... more
Jacques Lacan was constantly and consistently motivated by the aims of carrying out, improving, and critically understanding psychoanalytic practice and theory. In his work and teaching, he examined and (re)incorporated a number of key experiences, conceptions, and insights from moral life and moral theories into psychoanalysis.
One particularly interesting aspect of Lacan’s work, particularly in terms of moral theory, is that while problematizing them, and reconceiving how we must understand them, his approach remains anchored by key themes, concepts, and experiences of older moral theories and perspectives, such as the truth of the human subject, the nature of the good, and the processes and pitfalls of moral development.
Three main sets of issues are analysed and discussed in this chapter. First, we examine Lacan’s criticisms of modes and schools of psychoanalysis that converted it into a simplistically moralistic discipline such as ego-psychology. Second, we run over Lacan’s main discussions and partial appropriations of Aristotelian, Kantian, Utilitarian, Sadean, and Judeo-Christian moral perspectives. Third and finally, we go deeper into discussing the implications Lacan’s reinterpretation of selected Freudian concepts bear for ethics, particularly in terms of ethics of subjectivity. Put very briefly, we might say that Lacan is situating a process of becoming-subject within a never-complete field of ethical discourses.
One particularly interesting aspect of Lacan’s work, particularly in terms of moral theory, is that while problematizing them, and reconceiving how we must understand them, his approach remains anchored by key themes, concepts, and experiences of older moral theories and perspectives, such as the truth of the human subject, the nature of the good, and the processes and pitfalls of moral development.
Three main sets of issues are analysed and discussed in this chapter. First, we examine Lacan’s criticisms of modes and schools of psychoanalysis that converted it into a simplistically moralistic discipline such as ego-psychology. Second, we run over Lacan’s main discussions and partial appropriations of Aristotelian, Kantian, Utilitarian, Sadean, and Judeo-Christian moral perspectives. Third and finally, we go deeper into discussing the implications Lacan’s reinterpretation of selected Freudian concepts bear for ethics, particularly in terms of ethics of subjectivity. Put very briefly, we might say that Lacan is situating a process of becoming-subject within a never-complete field of ethical discourses.
Research Interests: Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, Ethics, Aristotle, Philosophy of Psychoanalysis, and 15 moreLacan, Continental Philosophy, Kant's Practical Philosophy, Jacques Lacan, Lacanian theory, Utilitarianism, Bentham, Immanuel Kant, Moral Philosophy, Aristotle's Ethics, Lacanian psychoanalysis, Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Bentham, Mill, and Utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham, and Lacanian Analysis
In this paper, I distinguish four ways to ask the question whether morality must be grounded in God. One asks whether or not God is the ultimate source for moral goodness, values, or standards. A second way asks whether a minimal... more
In this paper, I distinguish four ways to ask the question whether morality must be grounded in God. One asks whether or not God is the ultimate source for moral goodness, values, or standards. A second way asks whether a minimal
morality, purified of any explicit reference to God, could not be worked out on bases of common human experience and rational reflection. A third way asks whether some kind of divine revelation is required for morality to be adequately
understood or worked out. A fourth way asks whether a person requires practical engagement with God in adequately live out a sufficiently moral life. I then examine Anselm of Canterbury's responses to each of these questions.
The first part examines the issue of God as the origin of moral value and standards. The second part shift to a vantage point taking Anselm’s God out of the picture, in order to outline a morality based upon the exercise of a natural human practical rationality. The third and fourth part address what Anselm would see as shortcomings of such an approach to morality. The third part focuses on guidance and assistance Anselm thinks Christianity provides to human reason in developing a more adequate morality. The fourth part looks at the indispensable role Anselm accords to God and to Christianity, understood not only as belief or practice, but as community and experience.
morality, purified of any explicit reference to God, could not be worked out on bases of common human experience and rational reflection. A third way asks whether some kind of divine revelation is required for morality to be adequately
understood or worked out. A fourth way asks whether a person requires practical engagement with God in adequately live out a sufficiently moral life. I then examine Anselm of Canterbury's responses to each of these questions.
The first part examines the issue of God as the origin of moral value and standards. The second part shift to a vantage point taking Anselm’s God out of the picture, in order to outline a morality based upon the exercise of a natural human practical rationality. The third and fourth part address what Anselm would see as shortcomings of such an approach to morality. The third part focuses on guidance and assistance Anselm thinks Christianity provides to human reason in developing a more adequate morality. The fourth part looks at the indispensable role Anselm accords to God and to Christianity, understood not only as belief or practice, but as community and experience.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Passages in Aristotle’s Politics Bk III are cited in discussions of the “rule of law”, most particularly sections in 1287a where the famous characterization of law as “mind without desire”occurs and in 1286a where Aristotle raises and... more
Passages in Aristotle’s Politics Bk III are cited in discussions of the “rule of law”, most particularly sections in 1287a where the famous characterization of law as “mind without desire”occurs and in 1286a where Aristotle raises and explores the question whether it is better to be ruled by the best man or the best laws. My paper aims, by exegetically culling out Aristotle’s position in the Politics, Nichomachean Ethics and Rhetoric, to argue that his view on the rule of law and its relations to human subjects is considerably more complex and considerably more interesting. Despite Aristotle’s dictum, laws are not expressions or institutions of a pure and passionless rationality, and in order to be framed, understood and administered well, one must both have the sort of solid understanding of virtues, vices, passions, and motives of human action that Aristotle’s moral philosophy provides and have developed, at least to some degree, certain virtues. My paper will focus particularly on three themes: the role of the passions and desires in judgement, action, virtues and vices; the inescapability of passions and desires in the functioning of law; the possibility for rule of law and a certain level of virtue to be mutually supporting.
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Research Interests: Emotion, Law, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Ethics, and 15 morePolitical Theory, Aristotle, Virtue Ethics, Political Science, Politics, Philosophy Of Law, Rule of Law, Ancient Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Legal Philosophy, Ancient social & political philosophy, Aristotelianism, Practical Rationality, Ancient Greek Philosophy, and History of Philosophy
This thematic bibliography provides a narrative account of the most important literature comprising, and about, the 1930s debates about Christian carried out by Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, Maurice Blondel, Emile Brehier, Gabriel... more
This thematic bibliography provides a narrative account of the most important literature comprising, and about, the 1930s debates about Christian carried out by Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, Maurice Blondel, Emile Brehier, Gabriel Marcel, and many others
Research Interests: French Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, History of Ideas, Catholic Studies, and 10 moreMarcel, Gabriel, Contemporary French Philosophy, 20th Century Philosophy, Maurice Blondel, Christian Philosophy, Etienne Gilson, Faith and Reason, Jacques Maritain, Catholic Philosophy, and History of Philosophy
My paper highlights one Personalist aspect of St. Anselm's Platonic perspective, namely the ontological priority and interpenetration of persons. The paper first discusses Anselm's metaphysical Platonism, then charts the Anselmian path... more
My paper highlights one Personalist aspect of St. Anselm's Platonic perspective, namely the ontological priority and interpenetration of persons. The paper first discusses Anselm's metaphysical Platonism, then charts the Anselmian path towards God, through participation in the divine attributes. It then focuses on images of persons, and their degree of being. I argue that, at least for certain human relationships marked by strong love or friendship, Anselm regards the image of the person as mediating the being of the person imaged
Deely's work, the Four Ages contains a brief explicit discussion of the issue of Christian philosophy, referencing the Middle Ages and the 1930s French debates. Closer attention to the debates reveals a plurality of positions rather than... more
Deely's work, the Four Ages contains a brief explicit discussion of the issue of Christian philosophy, referencing the Middle Ages and the 1930s French debates. Closer attention to the debates reveals a plurality of positions rather than the agreement Deely depicts, indicating that the complex issues remained unresolved. I contest Deely's interpretation of Maritain's position, provide exegesis of Maritian's position , argue that Deely's explicit position is closer to Neo-Scholastic opponents of Christian philosophy, and briefly discuss Gilson's and Blondel's criticisms of such positions. I also indicate that Deely's approach bears some similarities with proponents of Christian philosophy, and suggest that Deely's semiotic approach could bear additional fruit for postmodern Crhistian philosophy's ongoing projects of self-understanding
Research Interests:
"Hobbes articulates a modern problematic of reason, where the shared rationality of human beings is an integral part of the danger they present to each other, and where reason suggests a solution, the social contract and the laws of... more
"Hobbes articulates a modern problematic of reason, where the shared rationality of human beings is an integral part of the danger they present to each other, and where reason suggests a solution, the social contract and the laws of nature, enforced and interpreted by absolute sovereign authority.
This solution reflects a tension in modern reason itself, since it requires the alienation of self-determination of the rational human subject precisely to preserve the condition for the possibility of the rationality of the rational human subject, i.e. one’s life, which is threatened by the very rationality of other human subjects.
I discuss interpretations of Hobbes which stress the other motives of conflict, i.e. competition and vanity, and acknowledge that they play a role in the threat subjects present to each other, but argue that the danger presented precisely by shared rationality, which I discuss with some reference to the Hegelian dialectic of consciousness and mutual recognition, has been underplayed by Hobbes’ interpretation"
This solution reflects a tension in modern reason itself, since it requires the alienation of self-determination of the rational human subject precisely to preserve the condition for the possibility of the rationality of the rational human subject, i.e. one’s life, which is threatened by the very rationality of other human subjects.
I discuss interpretations of Hobbes which stress the other motives of conflict, i.e. competition and vanity, and acknowledge that they play a role in the threat subjects present to each other, but argue that the danger presented precisely by shared rationality, which I discuss with some reference to the Hegelian dialectic of consciousness and mutual recognition, has been underplayed by Hobbes’ interpretation"
Research Interests: Philosophy, Political Philosophy, 17th Century & Early Modern Philosophy, Political Theory, Early Modern History, and 9 moreConflict, Hobbes, Thomas Hobbes, Modernity, Practical Reasoning, History Of Modern Philosophy, Practical Rationality, Practical Reasons and Rationality, and History of Philosophy
This paper examines and attempt to provide a systematic picture of St. Anselm’s discussions, evaluations, and practices bearing on coercion, punishment, and violence. Anselm uses beatings as examples in illustrating important moral... more
This paper examines and attempt to provide a systematic picture of St. Anselm’s discussions, evaluations, and practices bearing on coercion, punishment, and violence.
Anselm uses beatings as examples in illustrating important moral distinctions in several works, seemingly having their moral value or disvalue depend on contextual factors, so that beatings are as such, so to speak, morally neutral. Anselm also strongly criticizes another abbot for indiscriminately beating his charges, and explained why such violence was deeply detrimental in several ways. Yet, Anselm saw some legitimate role for corporal punishments.
Moving to coercion, punishment, and violence more generally, Anselm’s approach is complex, and attempts to do justice to several key values and concerns. His own approach was that through patience, humility, indulgence within the limits of order, and love on his part, attempts to inculcate an overcoming of violence and hatred as well as other evil affections, vices on the part of others, offering them a possibility and a path by which they may avoid the necessity of punishment or other coercion. He also recognizes that coercive force and punishment not only can and do serve as means to preserving the social order from violence and as means for ends of moral correction and direction, but even figure into the justice and beauty of the divine providential arrangement of the universe
Anselm uses beatings as examples in illustrating important moral distinctions in several works, seemingly having their moral value or disvalue depend on contextual factors, so that beatings are as such, so to speak, morally neutral. Anselm also strongly criticizes another abbot for indiscriminately beating his charges, and explained why such violence was deeply detrimental in several ways. Yet, Anselm saw some legitimate role for corporal punishments.
Moving to coercion, punishment, and violence more generally, Anselm’s approach is complex, and attempts to do justice to several key values and concerns. His own approach was that through patience, humility, indulgence within the limits of order, and love on his part, attempts to inculcate an overcoming of violence and hatred as well as other evil affections, vices on the part of others, offering them a possibility and a path by which they may avoid the necessity of punishment or other coercion. He also recognizes that coercive force and punishment not only can and do serve as means to preserving the social order from violence and as means for ends of moral correction and direction, but even figure into the justice and beauty of the divine providential arrangement of the universe
Research Interests:
This chapter explores the relationship between the present life and eternal life in Anselm’s thought. The first section examines a situation of difficult choice, to illustrate the clear priority in value of eternal life over temporal life... more
This chapter explores the relationship between the present life and eternal life in Anselm’s thought. The first section examines a situation of difficult choice, to illustrate the clear priority in value of eternal life over temporal life in Anselm’s writings. The second section turns to his characterizations of the present life and the afterlife. The third section examines the value of temporal life as a good and the disvalue of temporal death as an evil. The fourth section advances and provides support for a claim: given Anselm’s anthropology, it is possible for the present life to be not only a preparation for eternal life, but also to some degree participation in eternity
Research Interests: Philosophy, Free Will, Moral Responsibility, Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, History of Ideas, and 11 morePhilosophical Anthropology, Death, Medieval Theology, Meaning of Life, Christian Ethics, Free Will, Afterlife studies, Anselm (Philosophy), Time and Eternity, Anselm of Canterbury, and History of Philosophy
"This paper argues that Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak’s recent writings make substantive contributions to rethinking the issue of Christian philosophy today. I present Peperzak’s view of philosophy’s contemporary situation and the failures of... more
"This paper argues that Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak’s recent writings make substantive contributions to rethinking the issue of Christian philosophy today. I present Peperzak’s view of philosophy’s contemporary situation and the failures of the modern project of an entirely autonomous philosophy.
Christian philosophy reflects on the relationship between philosophy and Christian faith, focused on all aspects of concrete human existence, reorienting philosophy towards recovery of its fuller scope. Three key contributions Peperzak
makes are: reexamining the relationship between philosophy, the natural and the supernatural ; highlighting and phenomenologically describing affectivity’s importance ; and, indicating Christian philosophy’s grounding in dialogue, tradition and community"
Christian philosophy reflects on the relationship between philosophy and Christian faith, focused on all aspects of concrete human existence, reorienting philosophy towards recovery of its fuller scope. Three key contributions Peperzak
makes are: reexamining the relationship between philosophy, the natural and the supernatural ; highlighting and phenomenologically describing affectivity’s importance ; and, indicating Christian philosophy’s grounding in dialogue, tradition and community"
Research Interests:
This book chapter represents one of the engagements between Catholic and Wesleyan philosophers at the 2008 Wesleyan Philosophy Society. The issue of what precisely "Wesleyan philosophy" would mean and comprise can be usefully illuminated... more
This book chapter represents one of the engagements between Catholic and Wesleyan philosophers at the 2008 Wesleyan Philosophy Society. The issue of what precisely "Wesleyan philosophy" would mean and comprise can be usefully illuminated by comparison with the positions and issues that were raised and discussed by Catholic scholars during the 1930s Christian philosophy debates in France, which included Etienne Gilson, Maurice Blondel, Jacques Maritain, and Gabriel Marcel. We also discuss how the thought on a contemporary Catholic philosopher Adriaan Peperzack, specifically on affectivity, can be brought into comparison with that important theme in Wesleyan philosophy
Research Interests: Philosophy Of Religion, Catholic Studies, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), 20th Century Philosophy, and 8 moreMaurice Blondel, Christian Philosophy, Affect/Emotion, Practical Rationality, Wesleyan Theology, Wesley Studies, Affect (Philosophy), and History of Philosophy
Aristotle figures significantly in the recent boom of literature on forgiveness, particularly accounts wishing to construe forgiveness as a virtue. While his definition of anger is often invoked, he is also a foil for accounts valuing... more
Aristotle figures significantly in the recent boom of literature on forgiveness, particularly accounts wishing to construe forgiveness as a virtue. While his definition of anger is often invoked, he is also a foil for accounts valuing forgiveness more than did Aristotle. I argue through interpretive exegesis of Aristotle’s texts that, while there are definite limits on forgiveness in his thought, so that his notion of forgiveness does not extend as far as in Christian ethics, it does play a significant role in his ethics. Forgiveness is particularly connected with the emotion and dynamic of anger, and my paper examines Aristotle’s discussions of anger, hatred and righteous indignation, indicating how forgiveness fits into these. Finally, I express my suspicions of recent accounts attempting to construe forgiveness itself as a virtue, arguing it is traditionally and more adequately understood as governed by virtues, in particular mildness (praōtēs) as Aristotle articulates it.
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One important divine attribute Saint Anselm examines and treats is that of simplicity. His treatment brings out some surprising features of simplicity itself which escape the frameworks of the logic of created being, providing us a... more
One important divine attribute Saint Anselm examines and treats is that of simplicity. His treatment brings out some surprising features of simplicity itself which escape the frameworks of the logic of created being, providing us a fuller, albeit still very partial, understanding of the true nature of that attribute. A deep problem can then arise for the created human being in the course of such speculations and investigations: How can a complex, complicated, composite created being more closely approach a perfectly simple divine being? In both our thought and in our practice, it seems that our attempts to approach God simply introduce even more complexity into things. My paper addresses that problem. The first section of the paper presents five short Anselmian lessons about the divine attribute of simplicity. The second section then frames and explores the problem. The third and final section provides an Anselmian resolution to the problem
Research Interests: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, and 12 moreMedieval Studies, Medieval Theology, Christian Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Monasticism, Anselm (Philosophy), Divine Simplicity, Attributes of God, Moral and Political Philosophy, Anselm of Canterbury, St. Anselm, and Divine Attributes
My paper argues that Anselm’s moral theory is concerned with virtue and vice. The affections or inclinations of the will are central in Anselm’s moral theory, specifically to human freedom and justice, and this allows Anselm’s moral... more
My paper argues that Anselm’s moral theory is concerned with virtue and vice. The affections or inclinations of the will are central in Anselm’s moral theory, specifically to human freedom and justice, and this allows Anselm’s moral theory to be regarded as something like a virtue ethics that places the will and the human person’s relationship with God at its center. My paper examines three sets of topics: first, Anselm’s views on freedom and justice; second, key distinctions in Anselm’s treatment of the will; third, the will-as-affection for justice understood as taking determinate form as virtues.
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Martin Rhonheimer and Michael Zuckert take me to task for what they argue to be the errors and flaws of my article "The Laws of Nature as Moral Norms in Hobbes' Leviathan. I respond to their criticisms, and my critics are afforded a... more
Martin Rhonheimer and Michael Zuckert take me to task for what they argue to be the errors and flaws of my article "The Laws of Nature as Moral Norms in Hobbes' Leviathan. I respond to their criticisms, and my critics are afforded a second set of responses
Research Interests:
Ogren advances a hermeneutic interpretation of Aristotle that brings to light several important and overlooked points about Aristotle, emotion, and cognition. In my article, I argue that his interpretation is on certain points correct,... more
Ogren advances a hermeneutic interpretation of Aristotle that brings to light several important and overlooked points about Aristotle, emotion, and cognition. In my article, I argue that his interpretation is on certain points correct, particularly in stressing that the distinctively human, irrational, emotional and desiring part of the soul is rational to a certain extent, and through its own forms of cognition, revelatory of being. His interpretation errs, however, by construing the fully rational part of the soul in a fundamentally un-Aristotelian way, as merely a faculty informed by the rules of formal logic. After indicating Ogren’s interpretation’s strong points, then its central errors, I present an alternate exegetically grounded Aristotelian interpretation of these matters. Specifically, I show that Aristotle’s division of the parts of the soul is more complicated and ambiguous than Ogren’s interpretation. Then, I show that, for Aristotle, the fully rational part of the soul is, contra Ogren, concerned with practical matters and life, and
possesses substantive modes of cognition of the world. I finish by exploring one of these, specifically perception of moral qualities, and discuss some recent Aristotle scholarship
engaging this issue
possesses substantive modes of cognition of the world. I finish by exploring one of these, specifically perception of moral qualities, and discuss some recent Aristotle scholarship
engaging this issue
Moral norms in general and the laws of nature in particular raise some problems in interpreting Hobbes’ moral philosophy. The dilemma his work seems to impose is that either there are some moral norms that do not derive their objective... more
Moral norms in general and the laws of nature in particular raise some problems in interpreting Hobbes’ moral philosophy. The dilemma his work seems to impose is that either there are some moral norms that do not derive their objective status ultimately from their imposition by or instantiation through a political authority, or moral norms have whatever objective status they have by such an imposition.
My exegesis of Leviathan culminates in the conclusion that while Hobbes views himself as articulating objective moral norms, in the laws of nature, that are in a sense, prior to any existing society, and while he views his articulation as superior to any other, because fully scientific, they derive their objective moral status and force only by being instituted and administered in society by sovereign authority through the civil law.
Hobbes views moral disagreements as both inevitable and dangerous. He also assesses moral discourse, and moral philosophy in particular as both continuing and intensifying danger of conflict, and actual conflict. His remedy for this is what he views as the first truly scientific moral philosophy, in which the laws of nature play a central role.
My exegesis of Leviathan culminates in the conclusion that while Hobbes views himself as articulating objective moral norms, in the laws of nature, that are in a sense, prior to any existing society, and while he views his articulation as superior to any other, because fully scientific, they derive their objective moral status and force only by being instituted and administered in society by sovereign authority through the civil law.
Hobbes views moral disagreements as both inevitable and dangerous. He also assesses moral discourse, and moral philosophy in particular as both continuing and intensifying danger of conflict, and actual conflict. His remedy for this is what he views as the first truly scientific moral philosophy, in which the laws of nature play a central role.
Research Interests:
The paper discusses Anselm’s thought as Christian philosophy in light of positions developed during the 1930s French debates about Christian philosophy, specifically the complementary positions of Etienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain. I... more
The paper discusses Anselm’s thought as Christian philosophy in light of positions developed during the 1930s French debates about Christian philosophy, specifically the complementary positions of Etienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain. I argue that, understood by reference to the frameworks of Gilson’s early (1931-33) position and Maritain’s position, Anselm’s thought would not only be a Christian philosophy but also a model of Christian philosophy. Gilson’s later (1934-37) position, however, held that Anselm’s thought should not be considered to be Christian philosophy. I argue that his later position has several weaknesses, and that his first position provides the more adequate assessment of Anselm.
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My paper was commissioned by Journal of Philosophy to provide a piece adequately explaining the significance of the Lacanian Mirror stage within Lacan's larger work. I focus on the transition from the mirror stage to the incorporation... more
My paper was commissioned by Journal of Philosophy to provide a piece adequately explaining the significance of the Lacanian Mirror stage within Lacan's larger work.
I focus on the transition from the mirror stage to the incorporation of the subject into the symbolic order. I argue that the mirror stage is transitional and that its significance lies in what of it is incorporated into and transformed within the more complex structures of the subject and the unconscious.
Implicit in my claim is that "lacanian" theories which hypostatize the mirror stage into a determinate structure of adult consciousness are misinterpreting Lacan. I use Seminars 1 and 2 to make fuller sense the mirror stage as presented in his Ecrits
I focus on the transition from the mirror stage to the incorporation of the subject into the symbolic order. I argue that the mirror stage is transitional and that its significance lies in what of it is incorporated into and transformed within the more complex structures of the subject and the unconscious.
Implicit in my claim is that "lacanian" theories which hypostatize the mirror stage into a determinate structure of adult consciousness are misinterpreting Lacan. I use Seminars 1 and 2 to make fuller sense the mirror stage as presented in his Ecrits
Research Interests:
An important issue raised and resolved in St. Anselm's Proslogion is the compatibility between justice and mercy as divine attributes. In this paper I argue (1) that Anselm's discussion of divine justice and mercy is an exploration of... more
An important issue raised and resolved in St. Anselm's Proslogion is the compatibility between justice and mercy as divine attributes. In this paper I argue (1) that Anselm's discussion of divine justice and mercy is an exploration of God's nature as quo maius cogitari non potest, and (2) that his discussion contributes to a better understanding of the complicated relationship between God and creatures. It seems at first that God's mercy must be in contradiction with God's justice. On the basis of a more adequate way of framing the issue, we can grasp, though not fully comprehend, the harmony between divine justice and divine mercy
Research Interests:
Maurice Blondel makes reference to and use of the ontological argument both in his early L’action (1893) and his later metaphysical Trilogy. This paper examines Blondel’s interpretation of the argument as a central part of his philosophy... more
Maurice Blondel makes reference to and use of the ontological argument both in his early L’action (1893) and his later metaphysical Trilogy. This paper examines Blondel’s interpretation of the argument as a central part of his philosophy and Blondel’s discussions of the argument in his interpretation of Anselm, Descartes, and Malebranche. The first part of the paper discusses Blondel’s reinterpretation of the argument in L’action (1893) and the second part discusses his further reinterpretation in La Pensée. The third part discusses Blondel’s interpretation of the ontological argument in Anselm, Descartes, and Malebranche in relation to broader themes motivating their work, which he discusses in articles in the Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale and the Rivista di filosofia neoscolastica. I argue that Blondel gives Descartes a priority over Anselm, and Malebranche over Descartes. In the fourth part, I argue that the priority Blondel assigns to Descartes over Anselm ought to be minimized, and discuss
two similarities between Blondel’s position and Anselm’s position.
two similarities between Blondel’s position and Anselm’s position.
Research Interests:
A prominent theme of Jacques Derrida's recent work has been that of responsibility. He has attempted to approach moral issues and philosophy without abandoning his philosophical project of deconstruction, a project that in the past has... more
A prominent theme of Jacques Derrida's recent work has been that of responsibility. He has attempted to approach moral issues and philosophy without abandoning his philosophical project of deconstruction, a project that in the past has seemed critical if not outright hostile to moral philosophy.
Moral and philosophical reflection is situated, and by the time one can even start posing questions, one is already embroiled for better or for worse, in a moral situation for which one bears some responsibility, and which also involve a responsibility of reflection as well as action. Adopting a
confessedly conservative reading of Derrida, I argue that his recent philosophy does allow for the possibility of morality to be realized through philosophical and moral projects, and that the everpresent possibility of these lapsing into irresponsibility does not undermine the positive, though contingent and gratuitous, achievement of responsibility when it does take place.
Moral and philosophical reflection is situated, and by the time one can even start posing questions, one is already embroiled for better or for worse, in a moral situation for which one bears some responsibility, and which also involve a responsibility of reflection as well as action. Adopting a
confessedly conservative reading of Derrida, I argue that his recent philosophy does allow for the possibility of morality to be realized through philosophical and moral projects, and that the everpresent possibility of these lapsing into irresponsibility does not undermine the positive, though contingent and gratuitous, achievement of responsibility when it does take place.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Catholic Studies, Deconstruction, Continental Philosophy of Religion (Philosophy), and 8 more20th Century Philosophy, Jacques Derrida, Maurice Blondel, Derridean Deconstruction, Christian Philosophy, Derrida, 20th Century Continental Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion
In Maurice Blondel's work, the problem of immortality is dealt with in terms of one's resolution of the problem of human destiny articulated in the forms of a self-determinative option. Although this option can take many forms, it is... more
In Maurice Blondel's work, the problem of immortality is dealt with in terms of one's resolution of the problem of human destiny articulated in the forms of a self-determinative option. Although this option can take many forms, it is ultimately one between egoism (or selfishness) pr mortification and charity. I outline this opposition and indicate how it bears on intellectual life and culture.
Research Interests:
I consider Hegel's complex attitude towards Enlightenment and Religion, particularly about Christian and the Catholic Church. I argue that Hegel demonstrates we must speak of at least two structures and cultures of Enlightenment: one a... more
I consider Hegel's complex attitude towards Enlightenment and Religion, particularly about Christian and the Catholic Church. I argue that Hegel demonstrates we must speak of at least two structures and cultures of Enlightenment: one a form of uncritical (and anti-religious ideology), the other a more reflective stance which both poses a greater challenge to traditional Christian thought and is able to critique the excesses of the other non-reflective Enlightenment stance. I argue that Hegel's position is ultimately not critical enough, and ends in repeating the structure of Enlightenment thought, failing to grasp its Other.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Table of Contents: Life Influences Methodology: Faith and Reason The Proslogion Gaunilo’s Reply and Anselm’s Response The Monologion Cur Deus Homo De Grammatico The De Veritate The De Libertate Arbitrii The De Casu... more
Table of Contents:
Life
Influences
Methodology: Faith and Reason
The Proslogion
Gaunilo’s Reply and Anselm’s Response
The Monologion
Cur Deus Homo
De Grammatico
The De Veritate
The De Libertate Arbitrii
The De Casu Diaboli
The De Concordia
The Fragments
Other Writings
References and Further Readings
Life
Influences
Methodology: Faith and Reason
The Proslogion
Gaunilo’s Reply and Anselm’s Response
The Monologion
Cur Deus Homo
De Grammatico
The De Veritate
The De Libertate Arbitrii
The De Casu Diaboli
The De Concordia
The Fragments
Other Writings
References and Further Readings
Table of Contents: Biography Immanence and Transcendence L’Action (1893) The Reaction to L’Action and the Dialectic Between Philosophy and Christianity Blondel’s Metaphysical Trilogy Blondel’s Methodology References and... more
Table of Contents:
Biography
Immanence and Transcendence
L’Action (1893)
The Reaction to L’Action and the Dialectic Between Philosophy and Christianity
Blondel’s Metaphysical Trilogy
Blondel’s Methodology
References and Further Reading
Biography
Immanence and Transcendence
L’Action (1893)
The Reaction to L’Action and the Dialectic Between Philosophy and Christianity
Blondel’s Metaphysical Trilogy
Blondel’s Methodology
References and Further Reading
Table of Contents: The Historical Background and Development of the Debates Positions Against Christian Philosophy Gilson’s Overview Theologist (Fideist) Positions Rationalist Positions Neo-Scholastic Positions Positions... more
Table of Contents:
The Historical Background and Development of the Debates
Positions Against Christian Philosophy
Gilson’s Overview
Theologist (Fideist) Positions
Rationalist Positions
Neo-Scholastic Positions
Positions For Christian Philosophy
Etienne Gilson’s Position
Jacques Maritain’s Position
Maurice Blondel’s Position
Gabriel Marcel’s Position
Other Positions Reconciling the Gilson-Maritain and Blondel Positions
References and Further Reading
Literature from the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates
Selected Literature from 1940s and 50s Reformed Protestant Discussions about Christian Philosophy
Selected Literature about the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates and Positions on the Issue of Christian Philosophy "
The Historical Background and Development of the Debates
Positions Against Christian Philosophy
Gilson’s Overview
Theologist (Fideist) Positions
Rationalist Positions
Neo-Scholastic Positions
Positions For Christian Philosophy
Etienne Gilson’s Position
Jacques Maritain’s Position
Maurice Blondel’s Position
Gabriel Marcel’s Position
Other Positions Reconciling the Gilson-Maritain and Blondel Positions
References and Further Reading
Literature from the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates
Selected Literature from 1940s and 50s Reformed Protestant Discussions about Christian Philosophy
Selected Literature about the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates and Positions on the Issue of Christian Philosophy "
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Philosophy, Kant, Pragmatism, Marxism, American Philosophy, and 35 moreContinental Philosophy, German Idealism, Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Henri Bergson, Franz Brentano, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, Schopenhauer, 19th Century Philosophy, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Marxist theory, Maurice Blondel, Nietzsche, Traditionalism, Utilitarianism, Bentham, Kierkegaard, Thomism, Immanuel Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, Pragmatism (Philosophy), Bergson, Arthur Schopenhauer, 19th-century German philosophy, Ludwig Feuerbach, French philosophy, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, John Henry Newman / Oxford Movement, Soren Kierkegaard, Positivism, John Henry Newman, 19th-Century British Philosophy, Maine de Biran, and Catholic Philosophy
Research Interests: Ancient History, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Political Theory, and 14 morePatristics, Medieval Studies, Renaissance Humanism, Stoicism, Seneca, Cicero, Ancient Philosophy, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Roman Stoicism, Stoicism (Philosophy), Epictetus, Greco-Roman World, Zenon of Citium, and Neo-Stoicism
Research Interests: Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Lacan, Jungian psychology, and 13 morePsychology of Unconscious, Jacques Lacan, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling, Sigmund Freud, Schopenhauer, Lacanian theory, Freud and Lacan, Carl G. Jung, Nicolai Hartmann, Alfred Adler, Wilhelm Reich, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
These are the slides from my recent invited Women's History Month lecture on Mary Wollstonecraft, the author of the Vindication of the Rights of Women (among other works). Videorecording of the entire lecture is available here -... more
These are the slides from my recent invited Women's History Month lecture on Mary Wollstonecraft, the author of the Vindication of the Rights of Women (among other works).
Videorecording of the entire lecture is available here - https://youtu.be/ztl5-465rZU
During the lecture, I discuss her childhood, relationships with her family and her close friend Fanny Blood, and the succession of early jobs and professions. Then we focus on her deliberate choice to move to London and make her living by writing - first by translation and novel review work - then then by her own writings.
We discuss a number of ideas from one of her main works, The Vindication of the Rights of Women, including the nature and importance of education, civilization and human development, culture's impact upon gender inequality, and the need for friendship in marriage.
We also discuss the two main romantic relationships Wollstonecraft had in the course of her life - in the last five years of her life. One was with Gilbert Imlay, with whom she had her daughter, Fanny. He effectively abandoned both of them, which lead to Wollstonecraft's two suicide attempts. The other was with William Godwin, who she married, and with whom she had her daughter Mary.
After her daughter's Mary birth, Wollstonecraft died of complications from the birth. Godwin would soon publish his biography of Wollstonecraft, which then effectively ruined her reputation for roughly a century.
Videorecording of the entire lecture is available here - https://youtu.be/ztl5-465rZU
During the lecture, I discuss her childhood, relationships with her family and her close friend Fanny Blood, and the succession of early jobs and professions. Then we focus on her deliberate choice to move to London and make her living by writing - first by translation and novel review work - then then by her own writings.
We discuss a number of ideas from one of her main works, The Vindication of the Rights of Women, including the nature and importance of education, civilization and human development, culture's impact upon gender inequality, and the need for friendship in marriage.
We also discuss the two main romantic relationships Wollstonecraft had in the course of her life - in the last five years of her life. One was with Gilbert Imlay, with whom she had her daughter, Fanny. He effectively abandoned both of them, which lead to Wollstonecraft's two suicide attempts. The other was with William Godwin, who she married, and with whom she had her daughter Mary.
After her daughter's Mary birth, Wollstonecraft died of complications from the birth. Godwin would soon publish his biography of Wollstonecraft, which then effectively ruined her reputation for roughly a century.
Research Interests:
This was an invited lecture to the Midwest Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy. Early on Stoics stressed “living in accordance with nature” as a central goal of their moral theory. This theory also included a stress upon... more
This was an invited lecture to the Midwest Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy.
Early on Stoics stressed “living in accordance with nature” as a central goal of their moral theory. This theory also included a stress upon cultivating and actively living the virtues, upon happiness conceived of as apatheia and as freedom, and upon distinguishing between what are genuinely good, bad, and indifferent.
In the late Stoic Epictetus’ thought, “living in accordance with nature” is qualified and clarified as having or maintaining one’s “prohairesis in accordance with nature”. This term prohairesis had already played a significant role in ancient moral theory and practice, for example in that of Aristotle, but Epictetus expands its scope considerably beyond that of earlier thinkers, so that it seems almost like a full conception of the faculty of will as found in later moral theories.
The main goal of the seminar is to examine selected passages from Epicetus’ Discourses bearing upon prohairesis. We will focus upon four topics. 1) What the prohairesis is and how far it extends in Epictetus’ moral theory; 2) What it means to have one’s prohairesis in accordance with nature; 3) The relationship between prohairesis, the “rational faculty”, and the “ruling faculty”; 4) The reflexivity of the proharesis, and the means by which it determines or reshapes itself, particularly (re-)habituation.
You can view the talk at: https://youtu.be/EWS4QR1PM58
Early on Stoics stressed “living in accordance with nature” as a central goal of their moral theory. This theory also included a stress upon cultivating and actively living the virtues, upon happiness conceived of as apatheia and as freedom, and upon distinguishing between what are genuinely good, bad, and indifferent.
In the late Stoic Epictetus’ thought, “living in accordance with nature” is qualified and clarified as having or maintaining one’s “prohairesis in accordance with nature”. This term prohairesis had already played a significant role in ancient moral theory and practice, for example in that of Aristotle, but Epictetus expands its scope considerably beyond that of earlier thinkers, so that it seems almost like a full conception of the faculty of will as found in later moral theories.
The main goal of the seminar is to examine selected passages from Epicetus’ Discourses bearing upon prohairesis. We will focus upon four topics. 1) What the prohairesis is and how far it extends in Epictetus’ moral theory; 2) What it means to have one’s prohairesis in accordance with nature; 3) The relationship between prohairesis, the “rational faculty”, and the “ruling faculty”; 4) The reflexivity of the proharesis, and the means by which it determines or reshapes itself, particularly (re-)habituation.
You can view the talk at: https://youtu.be/EWS4QR1PM58
Research Interests:
Religious themes and imagery figure heavily within Ranier Maria Rilke's poetry and letters. An unconventional religious thinker, he reworks classical Christian conceptions of nature, life, solitude, love, God, Biblical figures, and... more
Religious themes and imagery figure heavily within Ranier Maria Rilke's poetry and letters.
An unconventional religious thinker, he reworks classical Christian conceptions of nature, life, solitude, love, God, Biblical figures, and even angels into a radically new religious perspective, on in which we human beings are participating in building a God who is still in
development.
This lecture outlines Rilke's perspective, focusing on key passages that articulate this point of view. It will be followed by a question and answer session.
An unconventional religious thinker, he reworks classical Christian conceptions of nature, life, solitude, love, God, Biblical figures, and even angels into a radically new religious perspective, on in which we human beings are participating in building a God who is still in
development.
This lecture outlines Rilke's perspective, focusing on key passages that articulate this point of view. It will be followed by a question and answer session.
Research Interests:
This is an invited lecture, given at Green Mountain College, hosted by the Philosophy program and the Environmental Liberal Arts program. In it, I situate Aristotle's discussions about the emotion, effects, and moral status of anger... more
This is an invited lecture, given at Green Mountain College, hosted by the Philosophy program and the Environmental Liberal Arts program.
In it, I situate Aristotle's discussions about the emotion, effects, and moral status of anger within the field of ethics, specifically virtue ethics. We then discuss what Aristotle has to teach us about how the emotion of anger arises, what it is, and what it wants. Aristotle discusses both vices and a virtuous disposition that have the anger response as their "raw material," and we examine his outlines of these. We finish by thinking about whether anger can play a productive role in activism or working towards justice.
In it, I situate Aristotle's discussions about the emotion, effects, and moral status of anger within the field of ethics, specifically virtue ethics. We then discuss what Aristotle has to teach us about how the emotion of anger arises, what it is, and what it wants. Aristotle discusses both vices and a virtuous disposition that have the anger response as their "raw material," and we examine his outlines of these. We finish by thinking about whether anger can play a productive role in activism or working towards justice.
Research Interests:
As part of Dr. Sadler's series of workshops on tools for teaching excellence, this workshop focuses specifically on lecture capture. He discusses what lecture capture is, how it has been used, best practices and common mistakes on the... more
As part of Dr. Sadler's series of workshops on tools for teaching excellence, this workshop focuses specifically on lecture capture. He discusses what lecture capture is, how it has been used, best practices and common mistakes on the learning curve, and why lecture can be a powerful tool for enhancing teaching and learning on multiple levels.
He briefly tells some of his own and his colleagues stories about why they got into lecture capture, what worked and what didn't, and what new opportunities it can lead to for instructors (including his popular academic YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/gbisadler).
He briefly tells some of his own and his colleagues stories about why they got into lecture capture, what worked and what didn't, and what new opportunities it can lead to for instructors (including his popular academic YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/gbisadler).
When most people -- who ahve heard of him -- think of Jeremy Bentham's moral philosophy, they think about pleasure, pains, utility, and focus almost entirely on consequences. Bentham's moral theory is more complex than that, which I... more
When most people -- who ahve heard of him -- think of Jeremy Bentham's moral philosophy, they think about pleasure, pains, utility, and focus almost entirely on consequences.
Bentham's moral theory is more complex than that, which I show by focusing on his Philosophy of Action, specifically on his treatments and assessments of intention, motive, and disposition
Bentham's moral theory is more complex than that, which I show by focusing on his Philosophy of Action, specifically on his treatments and assessments of intention, motive, and disposition
Research Interests:
In this invited lecture, hosted by the Pell Honors program at Salve Regina University, I present some of the key themes and concepts of Friedrich Nietzsche's first major work, The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music. We start... more
In this invited lecture, hosted by the Pell Honors program at Salve Regina University, I present some of the key themes and concepts of Friedrich Nietzsche's first major work, The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music.
We start with Nietzsche's distinction made early on between the Dionysian and Apollonian responses, which play a central role in this work, and particularly in the development of the genres of classic Greek poetry, leading up to the tragedy of Aeschylus and Sophocles.
We then look at the third major response, the one which takes us from the tragic to the theoretical point of view and mode of life, the Socratic, which Nietzsche will also call the Alexandrian -- and which he regards as the prevalent fundamental viewpoint of our own modern times.
According to Nietzsche, with Euripides, tragedy ends up dying a self-inflicted death. By rejecting the Dionysian depths and mystery, Euripides is abandoned by the Apollonian instead, and has to find new substitutes for what the interplay between Apollonian and Dionysian provided.
We close by considering the situation of modernity -- which threatens the danger of nihilism, as the spirit of science starts finding its limits, and the cheerfulness and optimism of the Socratic begins to give way to an existential nausea, pessimism, and groundlessness. Nietzsche's solution in this early work is to chart out a resuscitation of Apollonian myth emerging through the Dionysian basis of music, leading to a revival of tragedy. In his later self-criticism of the work, he suggests that he was off-base and that a more individual solution would be possible.
We start with Nietzsche's distinction made early on between the Dionysian and Apollonian responses, which play a central role in this work, and particularly in the development of the genres of classic Greek poetry, leading up to the tragedy of Aeschylus and Sophocles.
We then look at the third major response, the one which takes us from the tragic to the theoretical point of view and mode of life, the Socratic, which Nietzsche will also call the Alexandrian -- and which he regards as the prevalent fundamental viewpoint of our own modern times.
According to Nietzsche, with Euripides, tragedy ends up dying a self-inflicted death. By rejecting the Dionysian depths and mystery, Euripides is abandoned by the Apollonian instead, and has to find new substitutes for what the interplay between Apollonian and Dionysian provided.
We close by considering the situation of modernity -- which threatens the danger of nihilism, as the spirit of science starts finding its limits, and the cheerfulness and optimism of the Socratic begins to give way to an existential nausea, pessimism, and groundlessness. Nietzsche's solution in this early work is to chart out a resuscitation of Apollonian myth emerging through the Dionysian basis of music, leading to a revival of tragedy. In his later self-criticism of the work, he suggests that he was off-base and that a more individual solution would be possible.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this workshop, I introduce participants at the CIA to the practices and possibilities of Lecture Capture and Flipping the Classroom. I discuss in particular how lecture capture -- producing and archiving videos focused on course... more
In this workshop, I introduce participants at the CIA to the practices and possibilities of Lecture Capture and Flipping the Classroom. I discuss in particular how lecture capture -- producing and archiving videos focused on course content -- is a central component of any attempt to "flip the classroom." I also tell the story of my own use of lecture capture to enhance both face-to-face and online classes, discuss some best practices and pitfalls to avoid, and lead the participants in discussions centered on how they might incorporate these into their courses and curricula
Research Interests:
My session discusses the concept, experiences, and advantages of a model developed and used from 2010-2011 at Fayetteville State University, partnering philosophers (subject matter experts) and business educators, with the goal of... more
My session discusses the concept, experiences, and advantages of a model developed and used from 2010-2011 at Fayetteville State University, partnering philosophers (subject matter experts) and business educators, with the goal of demonstrably improving student learning in business programs.
The original purpose of EBEP was to assist the School or Business and Economics in improving their Case Task and Rubric used to assess student learning in Ethical Theories and Application for their specialized AACSB Accreditation.
Qualified and committed philosophy professors cross disciplinary divides to “teach the teachers of the students,” assisting Business faculty in developing higher levels of competence and confidence in teaching Ethics content, with developing and distinguishing assessments of student learning in Ethics (knowledge, application, and moral development), improving pedagogy, reviewing and developing resources.
An institution adopting this model infuses Ethics into the curriculum, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and incurs no additional costs. Wider implications for various other disciplines will be discussed,because similar interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaboration can -- and arguably, should -- be carried out between subject matter experts in core skill areas and practitioners/educators in other disciplines
The original purpose of EBEP was to assist the School or Business and Economics in improving their Case Task and Rubric used to assess student learning in Ethical Theories and Application for their specialized AACSB Accreditation.
Qualified and committed philosophy professors cross disciplinary divides to “teach the teachers of the students,” assisting Business faculty in developing higher levels of competence and confidence in teaching Ethics content, with developing and distinguishing assessments of student learning in Ethics (knowledge, application, and moral development), improving pedagogy, reviewing and developing resources.
An institution adopting this model infuses Ethics into the curriculum, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and incurs no additional costs. Wider implications for various other disciplines will be discussed,because similar interdepartmental and interdisciplinary collaboration can -- and arguably, should -- be carried out between subject matter experts in core skill areas and practitioners/educators in other disciplines
Research Interests:
George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy work narrates conflicts, conversations, collusions, and fateful choices linking together houses, movements, relationships, and persons. Lending cohesion to the numerous overlapping stories is Martin’s... more
George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy work narrates conflicts, conversations, collusions, and fateful choices linking together houses, movements, relationships, and persons. Lending cohesion to the numerous overlapping stories is Martin’s well-developed and -- as I argue – essentially neo-Aristotelian view of human nature, characters, development, ethos and moral qualities. Referencing events, characters, dialogues, monologues, and decisions from the narrative, I address four aspects of this neo-Aristotelian view: community as sharing (koinonia) but also locus of conflict over moral qualities and judgments; motivational interplays between interests, desires, loyalties, and common goods; ethos reflected in both individual characters and houses; characters’ choice and development as matters of better or worse practical reasoning towards and about the variety of human goods.
Workshop provided by member of the Ethics in Business Education Project at Fayetteville State University, intended to assist School of Business and Economics faculty develop more competence and confidence in teaching Ethics content to... more
Workshop provided by member of the Ethics in Business Education Project at Fayetteville State University, intended to assist School of Business and Economics faculty develop more competence and confidence in teaching Ethics content to their students.
Research Interests:
Prison education has been argued to have or at least have the potential for producing moral development among offenders, an attractive prospect given that lack of moral development or moral lapses often play key roles in their criminal... more
Prison education has been argued to have or at least have the potential for producing moral development among offenders, an attractive prospect given that lack of moral development or moral lapses often play key roles in their criminal activities prior to incarceration, and often continue during incarceration. My workshop help participants distinguish and discuss relationships between the positive moral effects of liberal arts education, moral education classes or programs, and academic Ethics classes and Ethics components of other classes. (accomanying handouts available upon request)
An invited lecture given during the Service Learning conference at the Culinary Institute of America. In it, I discuss my very mixed experience with incorporating Service Learning into a 100-level Critical Thinking course at Fayetteville... more
An invited lecture given during the Service Learning conference at the Culinary Institute of America. In it, I discuss my very mixed experience with incorporating Service Learning into a 100-level Critical Thinking course at Fayetteville State University, and my redesign of the course for the coming semester, attempting to center the Service Learning components of the course around Food Awareness. I also discuss some of the particular challenges in teaching Critical Thinking and using Service Learning with my students at FSU.
A podcast of the lecture can be found here: https://archive.org/details/G.B.SadlerServiceLearningCriticalThinkingAndFoodAwareness
A podcast of the lecture can be found here: https://archive.org/details/G.B.SadlerServiceLearningCriticalThinkingAndFoodAwareness
Research Interests:
presentation to incoming junior faculty covering some aspects of Collegiate Learning Assessment Performance Tasks and how they can be productively incorporated within their classes.
Final report as member of 2nd cohort of Chesnutt Fellows researching Information Literacy and ACRL Standards, applying the standards in classes Summer and Fall 2010, and assessing student learning in Information Literacy.
Close readings of philosophical text involve interconnected higher-order skills, which themselves require scaffolded lower-order skills in Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing. Platonic dialogues were not intended as tools to teach... more
Close readings of philosophical text involve interconnected higher-order skills, which themselves require scaffolded lower-order skills in Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing. Platonic dialogues were not intended as tools to teach lower-order skills, but they can be used for that purpose. I argue that we ought to consider using them for such purposes in order to lead our students toward states where they can more fully appreciate Platonic dialogues and carry out close readings. This also promotes lifelong learning and cultural literacy as realizable and attractive ideals for our students
One of the areas in which faculty most need assistance in implementing Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)-style Performance Tasks is using the grading rubric well. This workshop covers: Basics of the CLA Approach;Comparison of Older... more
One of the areas in which faculty most need assistance in implementing Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)-style Performance Tasks is using the grading rubric well.
This workshop covers: Basics of the CLA Approach;Comparison of Older and Newer CLA Rubrics; Close Examination of the Newer CLA Rubric; Grading Student Responses to Prison Education CLA Performance Task; and, Building Question- and Discipline-Specific Rubrics for Performance Tasks
This workshop covers: Basics of the CLA Approach;Comparison of Older and Newer CLA Rubrics; Close Examination of the Newer CLA Rubric; Grading Student Responses to Prison Education CLA Performance Task; and, Building Question- and Discipline-Specific Rubrics for Performance Tasks
Talk I gave some time back while I was still working on the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates book, which comes out this Spring
This is an invited talk, given at the Windmoor House in South Bend, Indiana, in the fall of 2005. In it, I discuss my views and reflections upon moral education in the Indiana prison system, based on my experiences and observations... more
This is an invited talk, given at the Windmoor House in South Bend, Indiana, in the fall of 2005. In it, I discuss my views and reflections upon moral education in the Indiana prison system, based on my experiences and observations teaching at Indiana State Prison.
Research Interests:
This paper was presented in the International Etienne Gilson Society satellite session at the 2015 American Catholic Philosophical Association conference. In it, I set out key features of Gilson's early (1930s) conception of Christian... more
This paper was presented in the International Etienne Gilson Society satellite session at the 2015 American Catholic Philosophical Association conference. In it, I set out key features of Gilson's early (1930s) conception of Christian philosophy, discuss reasons why Kierkegaard's works might not be considered to be such by Gilson, but then argue that Philosophical Fragments meets all of the criteria of those features of Gilson's conception of Christian philosophy
This paper, presented at the Gabriel Marcel Society satellite session at the 2015 American Catholic Philosophical Association, discusses the relationship between two key Existentialist philosophers, Gabriel Marcel and Jean-Paul Sartre.... more
This paper, presented at the Gabriel Marcel Society satellite session at the 2015 American Catholic Philosophical Association, discusses the relationship between two key Existentialist philosophers, Gabriel Marcel and Jean-Paul Sartre. Examining the reasons why their relationship was essentially polemical, I argue that the responsibility for this largely rests with Sartre. I also examine Sartre's criticisms of Marcel, whether these really apply to Marcel's philosophy, and Marcel's own more on-target criticisms of Sartre
Research Interests:
"My presentation focused on identifying, understanding, and cultivating batches of associated skills and dispositions desirable and needed if SI leaders are to perform their functions well, and if instructors are to effectively integrate... more
"My presentation focused on identifying, understanding, and cultivating batches of associated skills and dispositions desirable and needed if SI leaders are to perform their functions well, and if instructors are to effectively integrate SI leaders into their courses. These sets of skills and dispositions are termed intellectual and moral virtues in classical (particularly Aristotelian) Moral Philosophy, upon whose resources I draw to illuminate topics in my presentation. I will also be drawing on my three year experience of full-time teaching Core courses and employing SI leaders at Fayetteville State University, which included some successes and also some failures with SI.
In the course of my presentation, I introduce the participants to some of the rudiments of classical moral theory, discuss what intellectual and moral virtues are and how they are cultivated, identify which virtues are particularly needed by SI leaders and instructors and how they may be thoughtfully cultivated and progressively built."
In the course of my presentation, I introduce the participants to some of the rudiments of classical moral theory, discuss what intellectual and moral virtues are and how they are cultivated, identify which virtues are particularly needed by SI leaders and instructors and how they may be thoughtfully cultivated and progressively built."
Research Interests:
"In modernity, discussions about faith and reason have typically been driven by and focused on epistemological concerns, and have thus restricted themselves to faith as simply doxastic and reason as simply theoretical or speculative... more
"In modernity, discussions about faith and reason have typically been driven by and focused on epistemological concerns, and have thus restricted themselves to faith as simply doxastic and reason as simply theoretical or speculative reason or rationality.
Another equally important set of concerns are those bearing on matters of values, life, morality, human nature in its full extent, community, and our final end or ends. These are matters whose intelligibility is provided and explored through our practical rationality. The type of enquiry driven by these concerns can be, and in Anselm’s thought is, both broader in scope and more fundamental than epistemological-driven inquiry.
This paper examines the dialectical relationship between faith and practical rationality in St. Anselm’s thought, works, and life. First, I discuss the various interconnected senses Anselm gives to the terms “faith” and “reason.” Second, I argue that practical and theoretical rationality are not separable in Anselm, and that practical rationality actually has the priority in his thought. Third, I discuss several specific examples of cooperation of faith and practical reason in Anselm’s work. Fourth, I discuss several other key matters needed to fully round out the picture of faith and reason’s interaction: affectivity, the complex workings of grace, and relationship and community."
Another equally important set of concerns are those bearing on matters of values, life, morality, human nature in its full extent, community, and our final end or ends. These are matters whose intelligibility is provided and explored through our practical rationality. The type of enquiry driven by these concerns can be, and in Anselm’s thought is, both broader in scope and more fundamental than epistemological-driven inquiry.
This paper examines the dialectical relationship between faith and practical rationality in St. Anselm’s thought, works, and life. First, I discuss the various interconnected senses Anselm gives to the terms “faith” and “reason.” Second, I argue that practical and theoretical rationality are not separable in Anselm, and that practical rationality actually has the priority in his thought. Third, I discuss several specific examples of cooperation of faith and practical reason in Anselm’s work. Fourth, I discuss several other key matters needed to fully round out the picture of faith and reason’s interaction: affectivity, the complex workings of grace, and relationship and community."
Abstract: My paper examines a problem arising from, but not directly examined in, texts of St. Anselm of Canterbury. Briefly put, it is this: Anselm is a Christian Platonist, a philosophical tradition relying heavily on the conception of... more
Abstract: My paper examines a problem arising from, but not directly examined in, texts of St. Anselm of Canterbury. Briefly put, it is this: Anselm is a Christian Platonist, a philosophical tradition relying heavily on the conception of degrees of being, and Anselm himself says quite a bit bearing on this. He explicitly lays out a hierarchy of ontological dignity, i.e. of lower and higher being, ranging from bare being (nudum esse) to living being, sentient being, and rational being. My question is then: given the centrality of the conception of justice in Anselm’s thought, could the condition of justice (i.e. being just) just represent yet another level of being in this hierarchy, higher than that of rational being?
My paper approaches this problem through interpretative exegesis. In the first part, I assemble several Anselmian passages from Monologion and De Concordia which seem to bear on the problem. In the second, I interpret these passages to provide arguments for regarding justice as a degree of ontological dignity, buttressing them through interpretation of relevant discussions primarily from Monologion, De Veritate, De Libertate, De Casu Diaboli. In the third, I then marshal responses, discussing other passages from De Casu Diaboli and De Concordia, which problematize regarding justice as a degree of ontological dignity. In the fourth, I conclude that even in light of these, it is still possible to regard justice as a degree of ontological dignity in qualified ways, and I end by briefly offering four considerations about the relations between justice and rational being in Anselm’s thought.
My paper approaches this problem through interpretative exegesis. In the first part, I assemble several Anselmian passages from Monologion and De Concordia which seem to bear on the problem. In the second, I interpret these passages to provide arguments for regarding justice as a degree of ontological dignity, buttressing them through interpretation of relevant discussions primarily from Monologion, De Veritate, De Libertate, De Casu Diaboli. In the third, I then marshal responses, discussing other passages from De Casu Diaboli and De Concordia, which problematize regarding justice as a degree of ontological dignity. In the fourth, I conclude that even in light of these, it is still possible to regard justice as a degree of ontological dignity in qualified ways, and I end by briefly offering four considerations about the relations between justice and rational being in Anselm’s thought.
Research Interests:
"The aims and subject matters of this paper go somewhat beyond but remain anchored in dialogue between MacIntyrian Thomist Aristotleanism and Lacanian Freudianism. The first part does not focus on Lacan specifically, but rather... more
"The aims and subject matters of this paper go somewhat beyond but remain anchored in dialogue between MacIntyrian Thomist Aristotleanism and Lacanian Freudianism. The first part does not focus on Lacan specifically, but rather exegetically works through MacIntyre’s positive and negative assessments of various forms of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The second part applies categories of MacIntyre’s virtue ethics to psychotherapy, then specifically turns to psychoanalysis, asking where it fits among MacIntyre’s typology of moral standpoints. The third part argues that Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis bear considerable resemblances to tradition-constituted enquiry. The fourth part then examines how and which conceptual resources from Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis can be appropriated by MacIntyrian virtue ethics.
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My paper examines some of the issues concerned with the possibility and nature of Christian philosophy. I compare Von Hildebrand's own position to those taken by four main interlocutors during the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates and... more
My paper examines some of the issues concerned with the possibility and nature of Christian philosophy. I compare Von Hildebrand's own position to those taken by four main interlocutors during the 1930s Christian Philosophy Debates and indicate where Von Hildebrand's phenomenological approach can take Christian philosophy yet further
While Aristotle’s moral philosophy does not have a fully articulated theory of retribution and punishment, his discussions of anger provide a fruitful and commonsensical way of understanding such matters. My paper will discuss several... more
While Aristotle’s moral philosophy does not have a fully articulated theory of retribution and punishment, his discussions of anger provide a fruitful and commonsensical way of understanding such matters. My paper will discuss several themes raised by Aristotle’s discussions, my main thesis being: if Aristotle is correct in his understanding of the relations between anger, retribution, and moral valuations, we can distinguish between rightful retribution, mere revenge, and even malice or cruelty. These distinctions will not be adequately captured in sets of rules, but rather require reference to character, judgement, and virtues. Affectivity will be an integral part of the proper moral response to wrongdoing, so that the difference between retribution and revenge, from an Aristotlean standpoint, will not reside in a putatively “objective” and affectless retribution and a purely subjective and affect-laden revenge. Although Aristotle does hold out the possibility of an affectless retribution, he does not view this as normal. Indeed, Aristotle views desiring that those who violate norms suffer some penalty to be an integral part of a good character. What is ultimately decisive for Aristotle, and what reins in retribution, allowing it to be distinguished from revenge or malice, are moral norms.
"A set of passages in 1354-1359 of the Rhetoric contain Aristotle’s most explicit discussions of how he conceived the relationships between the different disciplines of rhetoric, politics, dialectic, and ethics. These discussions, while... more
"A set of passages in 1354-1359 of the Rhetoric contain Aristotle’s most explicit discussions of how he conceived the relationships between the different disciplines of rhetoric, politics, dialectic, and ethics. These discussions, while explicit, are brief, and their brevity renders them susceptible to reductive schematization. In this paper, my goal is to elaborate these fertile discussions through three means: close reading of these methodological passages in the Rhetoric; reference to relevant discussions from Aristotle’s other works; and reflection on the dialectical character of Aristotle’s practical philosophy.
My main argument is that Aristotle’s practical philosophy, and these passages in particular, offer to and require of his readers a dialectical engagement with the content of the texts (granting that “dialectic” is an equivocal term, I will offer a fuller description in the full paper). I consider four topics more specifically: 1) the relationship between rhetoric and dialectic, as capacities for providing arguments; 2) the ways the discipline of rhetoric shifts into the allied disciplines of politics and ethics; 3) the reasons why rhetoric is always unavoidable in both politics and ethics; 4) how politics and ethics can reciprocally inform rhetoric"
My main argument is that Aristotle’s practical philosophy, and these passages in particular, offer to and require of his readers a dialectical engagement with the content of the texts (granting that “dialectic” is an equivocal term, I will offer a fuller description in the full paper). I consider four topics more specifically: 1) the relationship between rhetoric and dialectic, as capacities for providing arguments; 2) the ways the discipline of rhetoric shifts into the allied disciplines of politics and ethics; 3) the reasons why rhetoric is always unavoidable in both politics and ethics; 4) how politics and ethics can reciprocally inform rhetoric"
My paper situates Maurice Blondel’s thought between two papal encyclicals articulating Catholic reflection on the problematic condition of philosophy in modern times, Pius X’s Pascendi Dominis Gregis and John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio. The... more
My paper situates Maurice Blondel’s thought between two papal encyclicals articulating Catholic reflection on the problematic condition of philosophy in modern times, Pius X’s Pascendi Dominis Gregis and John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio. The main notion of Blondel’s thought my paper centers here on is tradition, but several other aspects of his thought will have to be briefly discussed as well in order to support the central contention of my paper, which is that Blondel articulates and himself takes part in an ongoing tradition of Christian thought and life which continues on in modernity, and which provides an alternative to modes of thought that either reject or marginalize Christianity as an atavistic survival from pre-modern times, or that attempt to reductively tailor Christianity to modern categories (often while claiming to liberate the real meaning of Christianity). The vitality of this tradition depends on it neither accepting nor rejecting modernity wholesale, but on cultivating and exercising judgement about aspects of modernity.
"The "unum argumentum" which Saint Anselm refers to in the Proslogion is not what many commentators have made it out to be. It is neither an "ontological argument" of the sort Descartes or Hegel would later make (and Gassendi and Kant... more
"The "unum argumentum" which Saint Anselm refers to in the Proslogion is not what many commentators have made it out to be. It is neither an "ontological argument" of the sort Descartes or Hegel would later make (and Gassendi and Kant criticize), nor is the argument even confined to Proslogion, ch. 2-4. Rather, the "unum argumentum" is nearly the whole of the Prologion, minus the last three chapters, labeled "conjectiones" by Anselm.
What, then is the status of the argument -- or the portion of it -- pertaining to the existence of God. I argue that to understand it adequately, we cannot confine ourselves to the Proslogion, but must examine it within the scope of Anselm's metaphysics, drawing on the Monologion and the De Veritate in particular. "
What, then is the status of the argument -- or the portion of it -- pertaining to the existence of God. I argue that to understand it adequately, we cannot confine ourselves to the Proslogion, but must examine it within the scope of Anselm's metaphysics, drawing on the Monologion and the De Veritate in particular. "
Research Interests:
Politics bk. 5, which addresses the topic of stasis, is illuminated by Aristotle’s discussions of the passions in Rhetoric bk. 2. In the first part of this paper, I discuss Aristotle’s three fundamental analytic categories for... more
Politics bk. 5, which addresses the topic of stasis, is illuminated by Aristotle’s discussions of the passions in Rhetoric bk. 2. In the first part of this paper, I discuss Aristotle’s three fundamental analytic categories for understanding stasis: disagreements about shared conceptions of justice and moral matter; gain and honor; and more specific causes or principles. I indicate how the passions are determinately involved, particularly in the first and third categories, providing a passional substructure to stasis. In the second part, I discuss three passions, anger, hatred, and fear, in greater detail, showing how their dynamics as Aristotle describes them not only function in the production of stasis but also tend to produce each other. In the final part, I briefly discuss positive roles that the passions can play in politics.
Catholic universities and colleges in the United States are, as a whole, in a long-developing crisis of identity. My discussion centers specifically on the discipline of philosophy, but bears implications for related disciplines such as... more
Catholic universities and colleges in the United States are, as a whole, in a long-developing crisis of identity. My discussion centers specifically on the discipline of philosophy, but bears implications for related disciplines such as theology, law, education, history, the human sciences, and the fine arts. My argument is that the renewal of Catholic institutions of higher learning in America, specifically for the field of philosophy, can profit by examining the positions of certain thinkers who took part in an important debate in France in the 1930s about the possibility of Christian philosophy, in particular Etienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, and Gabriel Marcel. All of these thinkers agreed in maintaining Christian philosophy to be possible, but did not entirely agree on what its nature is, and they thereby provide an example of the richness and plurality of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
This series of twelve monthly lectures, intended for a general audience and hosted in 2015 by the Kingston Public Library, focuses on a set of perspectives on anger, coming from ancient or medieval texts in literature, philosophy, or... more
This series of twelve monthly lectures, intended for a general audience and hosted in 2015 by the Kingston Public Library, focuses on a set of perspectives on anger, coming from ancient or medieval texts in literature, philosophy, or religion.
The figures and movements covered in the lectures are: Greek Epic and Tragedy, Jewish Scriptures, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, Plutarch, Early Christian writings, Beowulf and the Song of Roland, Thomas Aquinas, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Dante Alighieri
The figures and movements covered in the lectures are: Greek Epic and Tragedy, Jewish Scriptures, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, Plutarch, Early Christian writings, Beowulf and the Song of Roland, Thomas Aquinas, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Dante Alighieri
Research Interests:
This series of twelve monthly lectures, intended for a general audience and hosted in 2014 by the Kingston Public Library, introduced participants to Existentialism as a historical, philosophical, and literary movement. The figures... more
This series of twelve monthly lectures, intended for a general audience and hosted in 2014 by the Kingston Public Library, introduced participants to Existentialism as a historical, philosophical, and literary movement.
The figures covered in the lectures are: Soren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Rainer Maria Rilke, Lev Shestov, Franz Kafka, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Gabriel Marcel
The figures covered in the lectures are: Soren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Rainer Maria Rilke, Lev Shestov, Franz Kafka, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Gabriel Marcel
Research Interests: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Political Philosophy, Ethics, Literature, and 24 morePoetry, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy, Marcel, Gabriel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Franz Kafka, Nietzsche, Simone de Beauvoir, Kierkegaard, Jean Paul Sartre, Heidegger, Dostoevsky, Albert Camus, Soren Kierkegaard, Sartre, Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky, Rilke, Existentialism, Camus, Authenticity, Existentialism, Rainer Maria Rilke, Gabriel Marcel, Kafka, and Lev Shestov
Here are links to what will eventually be 250-300 installments of a sequence of videos providing a close reading and commentary on G.W.F. Hegel's early masterwork, the Phenomenology of Spirit. In each 25-35 minute video, I read... more
Here are links to what will eventually be 250-300 installments of a sequence of videos providing a close reading and commentary on G.W.F. Hegel's early masterwork, the Phenomenology of Spirit.
In each 25-35 minute video, I read paragraphs from the text verbatim, and then in front of my home studio blackboard, engage in some discussion of the main concepts discussed in that passage, provide any needed historical context, and outline any connections to other passages.
If you would like to support the ongoing development of this innovative digital resource, you can click on the Patreon link below. You'll also find the Half Hour Hegel projct blog linked to below.
In each 25-35 minute video, I read paragraphs from the text verbatim, and then in front of my home studio blackboard, engage in some discussion of the main concepts discussed in that passage, provide any needed historical context, and outline any connections to other passages.
If you would like to support the ongoing development of this innovative digital resource, you can click on the Patreon link below. You'll also find the Half Hour Hegel projct blog linked to below.
Research Interests:
Here are the first four segments of what will eventually be over 100 installments of a sequence of one-hour videos discussing classic works and thinkers in Existentialist Philosophy and Literature
Research Interests:
Here are four videos from a playlist containing over 100 10-25 minute videos, each focused on one core concept from a philosophical thinker and text
Here are links to twenty-one 10-20 minute podcast episodes discussing all of the main ideas and arguments in Rene Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy The Senses, Dreams, and Doubt -... more
Here are links to twenty-one 10-20 minute podcast episodes discussing all of the main ideas and arguments in Rene Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy
The Senses, Dreams, and Doubt - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-senses-dreams-and-doubt-sadlers-lectures
Geometry, Mathematics, and Doubt - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-geometry-mathematics-and-doubt-sadlers-lectures
God, Causes, and Certainty - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-god-causes-and-certainty
The Evil Demon Hypothesis - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-evil-demon-hypothesis-sadlers-lectures
The Cogito and Thinking Being - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-cogito-and-thinking-being-sadlers-lectures
The Piece of Wax Example - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-piece-of-wax-of-example
What Is Known Clearly and Distinctly - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-what-is-known-clearly-distinctly-sadlers-lectures
Where Does Falsity Reside? - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-where-does-falsity-reside-sadlers-lectures
Innate, Adventitous, and Produced Ideas - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-innate-adventious-and-produced-ideas-sadlers-lectures
Objective and Formal Reality - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-objective-and-formal-reality-sadlers-lectures
The Argument for God's Existence - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-argument-for-gods-existence-from-idea-sadlers-lectures
Human Being, Supreme Being, and Non-Being -https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-human-being-supreme-being-and-non-being-sadlers-lectures
Is God Responsible for Human Error - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-is-god-responsible-for-human-error
Error, The Understanding, and the Will - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-error-understanding-and-the-will
The Freedom and Power of the Will - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-freedom-power-of-the-will-sadlers-lectures/s-2zBj8
True and Immutable Natures - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-true-and-immutable-natures-sadlers-lectures
An Ontological Argument for God's Existence - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-ontological-argument-for-gods-existence
Previous Judgements About Clear and Distinct Ideas - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-previous-knowledge-about-clear-and-distinct-ideas-sadlers-lectures
Imagination and Intellection or Conception - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-imagination-and-intellection-or-conception-sadlers-lectures
Faculties of the Human Mind and Body - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-faculties-of-the-human-mind-and-body-sadlers-lectures
Sense-Perception and External Things - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-sense-perception-and-external-things
What Nature Teaches Us - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/descartes-meditations-what-nature-teaches-us-sadlers-lectures
The Senses, Dreams, and Doubt - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-senses-dreams-and-doubt-sadlers-lectures
Geometry, Mathematics, and Doubt - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-geometry-mathematics-and-doubt-sadlers-lectures
God, Causes, and Certainty - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-god-causes-and-certainty
The Evil Demon Hypothesis - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-evil-demon-hypothesis-sadlers-lectures
The Cogito and Thinking Being - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-cogito-and-thinking-being-sadlers-lectures
The Piece of Wax Example - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-the-piece-of-wax-of-example
What Is Known Clearly and Distinctly - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-what-is-known-clearly-distinctly-sadlers-lectures
Where Does Falsity Reside? - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-where-does-falsity-reside-sadlers-lectures
Innate, Adventitous, and Produced Ideas - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-innate-adventious-and-produced-ideas-sadlers-lectures
Objective and Formal Reality - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-objective-and-formal-reality-sadlers-lectures
The Argument for God's Existence - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-argument-for-gods-existence-from-idea-sadlers-lectures
Human Being, Supreme Being, and Non-Being -https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-human-being-supreme-being-and-non-being-sadlers-lectures
Is God Responsible for Human Error - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-is-god-responsible-for-human-error
Error, The Understanding, and the Will - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-error-understanding-and-the-will
The Freedom and Power of the Will - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-freedom-power-of-the-will-sadlers-lectures/s-2zBj8
True and Immutable Natures - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-true-and-immutable-natures-sadlers-lectures
An Ontological Argument for God's Existence - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-ontological-argument-for-gods-existence
Previous Judgements About Clear and Distinct Ideas - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-previous-knowledge-about-clear-and-distinct-ideas-sadlers-lectures
Imagination and Intellection or Conception - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-imagination-and-intellection-or-conception-sadlers-lectures
Faculties of the Human Mind and Body - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-faculties-of-the-human-mind-and-body-sadlers-lectures
Sense-Perception and External Things - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy-sense-perception-and-external-things
What Nature Teaches Us - https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/descartes-meditations-what-nature-teaches-us-sadlers-lectures
Research Interests:
The FSU Rising Junior Examination in 2010 involved use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). The process and the results for the Institutional CLA are summarized in this report. A CLA Performance Task requires students to... more
The FSU Rising Junior Examination in 2010 involved use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). The process and the results for the Institutional CLA are summarized in this report.
A CLA Performance Task requires students to investigate and take a position on real-life-like situations. They must address another person’s claims, argument, and position, and they must do so in reference to seven documents containing different types of information. The documents also contain a mixture of relevant and irrelevant, and reliable and unreliable, information. The examination is scored holistically using rubrics. The report provides recommendations
A CLA Performance Task requires students to investigate and take a position on real-life-like situations. They must address another person’s claims, argument, and position, and they must do so in reference to seven documents containing different types of information. The documents also contain a mixture of relevant and irrelevant, and reliable and unreliable, information. The examination is scored holistically using rubrics. The report provides recommendations
Research Interests:
In this White Paper, submitted to FSU's Quality Enhancement Plan Writing Committee (a comprehensive 5-year QEP is one requirement for SACS reaccreditation of educational institutions), I discuss four models of Critical Thinking which are... more
In this White Paper, submitted to FSU's Quality Enhancement Plan Writing Committee (a comprehensive 5-year QEP is one requirement for SACS reaccreditation of educational institutions), I discuss four models of Critical Thinking which are relevant to their process of QEP writing, given their decision to make Critical Thinking in the majors the governing idea of their QEP.
Specifically, I discuss the APA Delphi Report Model, the Paul-Elder Model, a reconstruction of the model of CT involved in the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), and the proposed QEP model of "evidence-based decision-making in the majors". for each, I highlight strengths and weaknesses, and argue that these are in fact compatible models.
Specifically, I discuss the APA Delphi Report Model, the Paul-Elder Model, a reconstruction of the model of CT involved in the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), and the proposed QEP model of "evidence-based decision-making in the majors". for each, I highlight strengths and weaknesses, and argue that these are in fact compatible models.
Research Interests:
Students and lifelong learners have been requesting me to develop some structured resources to aid them in carrying out self-directed study in the History of Philosophy. In this particular module, I have students begin with a sequence... more
Students and lifelong learners have been requesting me to develop some structured resources to aid them in carrying out self-directed study in the History of Philosophy.
In this particular module, I have students begin with a sequence of dialogues by Plato -- specifically, the Meno, Ion, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, and then discuss where they might decide to go from there. I also have produced a video specifically discussing self-directed study of Philosophy and of Plato's dialogues, available here: http://youtu.be/Ngk0tLuls1w
I will be adding more essay writing prompts here on these dialogues as time goes on. Handouts on some of these dialogues can be found in my "Teaching Documents". I also have produced many videos discussing these dialogues, which you can find organized into a Plato playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB0AE9449D5B07340
In this particular module, I have students begin with a sequence of dialogues by Plato -- specifically, the Meno, Ion, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, and then discuss where they might decide to go from there. I also have produced a video specifically discussing self-directed study of Philosophy and of Plato's dialogues, available here: http://youtu.be/Ngk0tLuls1w
I will be adding more essay writing prompts here on these dialogues as time goes on. Handouts on some of these dialogues can be found in my "Teaching Documents". I also have produced many videos discussing these dialogues, which you can find organized into a Plato playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB0AE9449D5B07340
Research Interests: Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Epistemology, Plato, and 11 moreLifelong Learning, Socrates, Ancient Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Self-directed learning, Self-Directed Learning (Education), Plato and Platonism, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Lifelong learning and adult education, Socratic dialogue, and Lifelong Education
Research Interests:
Anselm’s understanding of God has several important features. First, God is the unity of attributes which we grasp and understand partially but not entirely, and about which we can come to a more adequate understanding through right use... more
Anselm’s understanding of God has several important features. First, God is the unity of attributes which we grasp and understand partially but not entirely, and about which we can come to a more adequate understanding through right use of our reason. Second, some of those attributes, e.g. goodness, justice, are ones we typically think of as moral attributes. Third, the ultimate standards, origins, and even full intelligibility of morality reside in the triune God, and one handle Anselm’s work offers for our understanding this is the polysemic, complex, and reflexive notion of rectitudo. By better understanding rectitudo we in fact better understand God.
But, “understanding rectitudo” can be regarded in several ways. An inadequate way of understanding it would simply produce some theory or formula without following its implications out further, and without connecting it with actual concrete moral life. Anselm’s works provide both a framework and some content for more adequate understanding of rectitudo. Specifically, his works allow understanding what it means for a given human being to concretely will (including to act, think, speak, and feel) rightly, as they should, in determinate situations. I highlight three particularly relevant features of Anselm’s thought: will as determinate affectiones; the interplay between grace and the will; the mediateness of our knowledge and relation to God through moral life.
But, “understanding rectitudo” can be regarded in several ways. An inadequate way of understanding it would simply produce some theory or formula without following its implications out further, and without connecting it with actual concrete moral life. Anselm’s works provide both a framework and some content for more adequate understanding of rectitudo. Specifically, his works allow understanding what it means for a given human being to concretely will (including to act, think, speak, and feel) rightly, as they should, in determinate situations. I highlight three particularly relevant features of Anselm’s thought: will as determinate affectiones; the interplay between grace and the will; the mediateness of our knowledge and relation to God through moral life.
Research Interests:
A guest sermon invited by the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Catskills, Aug 9, 2015. In it, I discuss Rainer Maria Rilke's conception of "solitude" (Einsamkeit), and its relevance to our contemporary lives. Explaining how the... more
A guest sermon invited by the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Catskills, Aug 9, 2015. In it, I discuss Rainer Maria Rilke's conception of "solitude" (Einsamkeit), and its relevance to our contemporary lives. Explaining how the two dimensions of slowing down temporally and making space spatially figure into the development of solitude as Rilke describes it, I suggest that in our own era, time has become the more scarce resource.
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An invited guest sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rock Tavern, November 9, 2014. I discuss first the "hard sayings" in Paul's Letter and in the Sermon on the Mount, then insights of John Cassian, Augustine of Hippo,... more
An invited guest sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rock Tavern, November 9, 2014. I discuss first the "hard sayings" in Paul's Letter and in the Sermon on the Mount, then insights of John Cassian, Augustine of Hippo, and John Chrysostom, and suggest how these insights may apply to our lives in the present
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Page 1. The Saint Anselm Journal 2.2 (Spring 2005) 88 The Ontological Proof, the Option, and the Unique Necessaire: Maurice Blondel's Examination of the Proof in Anselm, Descartes, and Malebranche Gregory B. Sadler Ball State... more
Page 1. The Saint Anselm Journal 2.2 (Spring 2005) 88 The Ontological Proof, the Option, and the Unique Necessaire: Maurice Blondel's Examination of the Proof in Anselm, Descartes, and Malebranche Gregory B. Sadler Ball State University ...