After the recent crisis in Afghanistan, some folks have demanded that President Biden resign. Is this a reasonable demand? To answer this question, we need to explore why some people might think such a demand is reasonable. One: Some might believe that is reasonable to demand a President’s resignation if anything bad happens during their… Continue reading Should Biden Resign Because of Afghanistan?
The Taliban recently seized Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, after President Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S forces. This withdrawal signaled the end of a twenty-year war President Bush initiated shortly after the 9/11 attacks. People are gravely concerned about the way this seizure will negatively affect Afghan citizens. They are especially concerned about women… Continue reading Afghanistan: Who is To Blame?
This post explores the question, "Should you get vaccinated?" And there are different ways I could approach this question. For example, I could pummel you with facts for and against getting the vaccine. Or I could try to use all sorts of compelling arguments to force you to believe a certain way. And perhaps that… Continue reading Should You Get Vaccinated?
Recently, it seems that everywhere I turn in the news, someone is talking about wokeness or woke people. Sometimes the term is used positively, i.e. “I got woke”, to describe a type of awareness someone gains in his or her life about issues pertaining to justice, fairness, and equality. Specifically, becoming woke often refers to… Continue reading About Wokeness: Should You Get Woke?
“To be human is to engage in relationships with others and with the world.” Paulo Freire[1] Recently I have been thinking about something I call “People First Politics”. I’m pretty excited about it. People First Politics is a name I came up with, but the ideas behind it have a long and noble heritage. (You… Continue reading People First Politics: Something to Get Excited About
This semester, I have been teaching an independent study on African philosophy with two young women. And I have experienced some painful and joyful emotional growth in the process. This was our anthology, which I highly recommend. They have taught me so much. We finished our independent study the other day by watching the movie… Continue reading What I Learned Teaching African Philosophy This Semester
Today we celebrate Mother’s Day, and I have been thinking a lot about the feminine. When I refer to the feminine in this context, I don’t refer to gender or biological sex. Rather I refer to a caring, relational, and life-giving way of being in the world. Philosopher Audre Lorde suggests this feminine is, at… Continue reading Do We Honor the Feminine?
Over the years, I have heard a lot of people ask this same question in various forms: Should we tolerate everything? And this is certainly an important question. One of the hallmarks of the U.S.[1], ideally, is that we tolerate diversity of ideas.[2] Because of this, we have a long-standing tradition of tolerating a variety… Continue reading Should We Tolerate Everything?
Did people steal the election from Donald Trump? The U.S. recently held its presidential election. By now, almost everyone in the U.S. knows these two things: 1) Joe Biden has been declared the winner. 2) President Trump and at least some people believe that the election was stolen from Donald Trump. Does the evidence actually indicate… Continue reading Did People Steal the Election from Donald Trump?
I have a confession. In my young adult life, conspiracy theories were my hobby. One of my all-time favorite shows is the X-Files. The premise of the show is that there is a government conspiracy to hide the existence of extraterrestrials. Adventures with Conspiracy Theories I am still not totally sure if I believe in… Continue reading Do You Tend Towards Conspiracy Theories?
