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June 2024

June 02, 2024

We are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

We are all patchwork, and so shapeless and diverse in composition that each bit, each...

December 2022

December 15, 2022

How to Get Along with People Who Aren’t Like You

As I begin to prepare for my next book project, a memoir on the teaching...

June 2022

June 23, 2022

Problems with the Soul

Last week I posted an essay called “Left-Brain Christianity or Right-Brain Faith?” which discussed the...

October 2021

October 14, 2021

The Ethics of Invisibility: What would you do if no one is watching?

Hey Justin! What if you had a ring that made you invisible when you put...

February 2021

February 16, 2021

The Earth is Round. Two Plus Two Equals Four. Deal With It

The earth is round. Two plus two equals four. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won...

January 2021

January 05, 2021

The President Who Wouldn’t Leave

One of my favorite skits from the early years of Saturday Night Live involved a...

February 2020

February 06, 2020

No Sacred Cows: An Exchange Between an Atheist and a Person of Faith

One of the many things that make teaching a rewarding vocation is receiving unsolicited testimonials...

March 2019

March 21, 2019

The GOATs of the Western Tradition

The beautiful Ruane Center for the Humanities on our campus opened in the Fall of 2013,...

May 2018

May 28, 2018

A Memorial Day Question: Is Democracy Overrated?

It is Memorial Day, a great day to honor those who have made sacrifices over...

January 2018

January 23, 2018

Fact or Opinion?

So moral relativism makes us more corrupt, but it also keeps us open-minded; moral objectivism...

November 2017

November 05, 2017

Silence and Submission

Over the past few weeks, Americans have been reminded once again of the misogyny and...

September 2017

September 12, 2017

Soul and Body

This semester I have the privilege of teaching Philosophy of Knowledge, a favorite course that for...

May 2017

May 29, 2017

Is Democracy Overrated?

In an early season of "House of Cards," Frank Underwood observes that "democracy is so...

September 2016

September 06, 2016

Good Morning, Psalms

Last Thursday, in just our second class of the semester, I had the opportunity to...

August 2016

August 01, 2016

The Rule of the Best

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. Winston Churchill I...

July 2016

July 27, 2016

The Sausage Sisters

It has been a rough ten days at our house. Not because Jeanne had knee...

April 2016

April 06, 2016

Are Philosophers Hypocrites? (Or are they just normal human beings?)

Last Saturday I said something less than complimentary on social media site about a fellow sports...

December 2015

December 04, 2015

This or That?

I got into an interesting conversation the other day with someone who insisted that on...

August 2015

August 17, 2015

Love That Will Not Let Me Go

One of the required performances for a professor returning from sabbatical is a public talk...

June 2015

June 22, 2015

When Logic Fails

My novel of the week is Rebecca Goldstein’s The Mind-Body Problem. I first encountered Goldstein...

June 17, 2015

My Best Friends

I sat down in my usual aisle seat on one of my infrequent airplane flights...

February 2015

February 27, 2015

Someone Would Know

Hey Justin! What if you had a ring that made you invisible when you put...

February 20, 2015

A Trip to Middle Earth

Everyone has an unforgettable teacher or two in his or her history; I aspire to...

November 2013

November 04, 2013

More Random Thoughts

The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats as deities. Cats have never forgotten this. “Morgan” is Welsh...

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