311219_Stoic reasons for New Year's resolutions
170419_Sharing a hermeneutical moment....with Tarek.
An early public talk in the Netherlands (2012) entitled: "An Original Flower Child and a Citizen Philosopher"_Posted 231218
December 7, 2018_UCR students fixing dinner chez Aiken
End of June 2018_Auggie the canine philosopher with 2 UCR alumni lady-friends, Alice & Joukje, looking for and finally finding a lake near Monflanquin, FR.
010718_UCR student alumni (Alice, Joukje, Rose, Tarek) and faculty friends (Esfaind with Tamara) chez Aiken in Monflanquin, FR.
Playing with Auggie at a local lake:
Joukje and Alice getting ready to continue their bicycle journey... an early morning departure under Auggie's watchful, mournful gaze.
030218_A new project and initiative for Dr. Aiken and Ms. Morris:
https://spark.adobe.com/video/ag9ewnM2LkiHE
251117_An end-of-semester racklette... with (from left) Chris, Aira, Laura, DA, Fred, Sarah... and MM taking the picture. And good fun was had by all.
241017_We reap what we sow... 2017's October olive harvest in Begadan (only 4 trees) tripled that of 2016!
290617_Artists & philosophers, UCR alumni & friends, in Begadan, FR for an international summer exchange (chez Aiken).
040217_Caffeinated complicity - UCR French & Philosophy (280117)
131116_A philosophical 'Oh sh%t' moment... from Adorno
Mid-October_A philosophically minded dinner chez Aiken... with Alice & David (the cook & assistant to the cook), Moritz, and Christian. And good fun was had by all.
121116_Hieronymus Trump
181016_The Canine Philosopher at work dispensing philosophical therapy, with Mijke as the victim.
120816_A summer-like sentiment... set to a DAW photo (taken in Royan, summer 2016)
080816_From Feynman....
090716_Clara Sporer (UCR class of 2016) visiting Begadan...
080616_Full front cover to Fire Under the Horizon's 2013 production of Prometheus Bound.
080616_Humm...?
120516_Sans commentaire....
100516_UCR Favorite Teachers 2016
250416_A lovely idea....
020416_DAW's sense of humor:
050216_Introduction to Greek Tragedy, dressed in western garb: The Gunfighter (2014).
050216_Bernie Sanders even has something to teach teachers about the technique of the classroom lecture... a wonderful visual lesson for philosophy lecturers: Bernie Sanders as a Rabbi officiating at a wedding reception.
240116_Phronti in ceremonial garb...
080116_A rather different take on the marriage question:
060116_Is this really what Plato imagined with his notion of a Philosopher-King (Resp)? Perhaps something in blond... ?
171215_Did you hear the one about the French teacher who invited a philosopher to a student wine tasting...? (photos by DAW)
021215_A philosophically minded raclette chez Aiken, with (top photo, l to r) David, Jef, DAW, DA, AnnaMarie, Alice, and Sarah (taking photo). And much fun was had by all...
221115_From Eric Emmanuel Schmitt's Facebook page:
191115_On behalf of Phrontisterion's Canine Philosopher: For Diesel.
In hommage: "PETA a diffusé un communiqué pour rendre hommage à "son courage à affronter ceux qui ont causé tant de souffrance". "Qu’elle repose en paix, avec les autres individus innocents pris aux piège par cette violence", a ajouté l'association."
Articles about Diesel:
151115_To remind us that, despite the waves that roil about and menace to submerge us, the Spirit of Paris abides: Fluctuat nec mergitur. From the pen of Joann Sfar:
261015_Philosophy for idiots? In French? On YouTube? Why not! -- https://www.youtube.com/user/LeCoupdePhil
041015_American culture has abandoned critical thinking as a cultural value. Anti-intellectualism, however, which is the name for when a society fails in being able, or simply does not wish to connect the dots, "comes with a hugh price..." From Psychology Today's "Anti-intellectualism Is Killing America"
190915_From Zen Pencils (108). Why does a fire burn in some, but not in others?
"Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) was a German activist who is famous for speaking out against the Nazi regime. Scholl was a member of a protest group called The White Rose, which was formed by her brother Hans, and some of his university friends. The group mainly consisted of students in their early twenties who were fed up with the totalitarian rule of the government. The Nazis controlled every aspect of society – the media, police, military, judiciary system, communication system, all levels of education and all cultural and religious institutions. The White Rose distributed leaflets urging their fellow Germans to oppose the regime through non-violent resistance.
On 22nd February 1943, after the release of the sixth White Rose leaflet, Sophie, Hans and fellow member Christoph Probst were arrested by the Gestapo and convicted of treason. They were executed that same day by guillotine. Sophie was 21 years old.
UPDATE: The source of this quote has been disputed. It’s been sourced on Wikiquote, but on further investigation by some readers, it can’t be 100% confirmed. It could have originated from a 1991 play about Scholl written by Lillian Garrett-Groag."
060815_UCR philosophers, plus DAW & philosophical canine, stack annual wood delivery.
250615_"What does it mean to be me? Jean-Paul Sartre and the existential choice: ‘In fashioning myself, I fashion humanity’"
100615_Art Spiegelman... from The New Republic: "The Controversy Over Muhammad Cartoons Is Not About the Prophet Muhammad."
150515_Existential chickens....?
070515_From UCR's Academic Affairs Council:
TOTY 2015 is a wrap!
Thank you for attending, and congratulations to the winning professors!
In case you could attend the event, but would still like to know the winners:
- Academic Core Department:
Dr. Anya Luscombe
- Science Department:
Dr. Ir. Richard van den Doel
- Arts and Humanities Department:
Dr. David Aiken
- Social Science Department and Overall Best Teacher:
Dr. Alexei Karas
On top of that, a lot of you mentioned a special feat on your ballots, namely the amount of involvement by Dr. Dario Fazzi! Because of this, he was also invited to receive a TOTY Certificate for Most Involved Teacher!
We hope you enjoyed, and we hope to see you at next year's Teacher Of The Year Awards.
160415_Existential Movie night chez Aiken (The Seventh Seal & Lost Horizon). Nota Bene- the blurry images are a metaphorical reminder of the rather blurry nature of reality when seen through the existentialist lens.
060415_Holzwege, Aiken style.... Heidegger: Eat your heart out!
020415_ Liberty of Religion
070215_
060215_Nietzsche Family Circus. Randomized pairings of Family Circus cartoons and Friedrich Nietzsche quotes. Refresh for a new comic and share your favorites.
030215_TEDGlobal 2011; Alain de Botton: Atheism 2.0. "What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt? Alain de Botton suggests a "religion for atheists" — call it Atheism 2.0 — that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence."
010215_Exclusive Interview with 'Charlie Hebdo' Cartoonist Luz.
250115_The 'west' in a nutschell--Charlie Hebdo meets manspread.
170115_Speech by Rotterdam mayor Aboutaleb on Jan 8th, 2015 -- Je suis Charlie. English Subtitles by Sarah Carter [UCR colleague!] with thanks to Daniel Eusebio Roque, George Tas & Max. See another Huffington Post interview here, and Mayor Aboutaleb's short TedxRotterdam talk here.
140115_What it looks like when a populist event (the peoples' Je suis Charlie march in Paris) gets hijacked and translated into a political photo-op moment... Where are the other 1.5 million marchers?
130115_
120115_The Bill Maher Show of 9 Jan, 2015 - Je Suis Charlie, with Salman Rushdie.
110115_Bill Maher on Free Speech, Charlie Hebdo, and Sony, at HBO Real Time Jan. 9, 2015.
171214_A pre-Christmas koinonia in the very best philosophical tradition.
131114__The Philosopher. (2010) Directed by Abdulla Al Kaabi; Starring: Jean Reno and Cyrille Thouvenin. A short video for your viewing pleasure.
170419_Sharing a hermeneutical moment....with Tarek.
An early public talk in the Netherlands (2012) entitled: "An Original Flower Child and a Citizen Philosopher"_Posted 231218
David's Coffee House Talk Part 1: Plato's Republic
David's Coffee House Talk Part 2: Homer's Odysseus
David's Coffee House Talk Part 3: Volaire's Candide
David's Coffee House Talk Part 4
December 7, 2018_UCR students fixing dinner chez Aiken
 | |
| R to L: Arthur, Leo (Risotto King), Caroline, Stefan L, Marten, Stefan P |
 |
| R to L: Stefan P, Caroline, Stefan L, Marten, DA, Leo, Arthur, JR |
 |
| R to L: Stefan L, Stefan P, DA |
 |
| R to L: Caroline (doing a serious carpe diem), Arthur, and Marten |
End of June 2018_Auggie the canine philosopher with 2 UCR alumni lady-friends, Alice & Joukje, looking for and finally finding a lake near Monflanquin, FR.
010718_UCR student alumni (Alice, Joukje, Rose, Tarek) and faculty friends (Esfaind with Tamara) chez Aiken in Monflanquin, FR.
Playing with Auggie at a local lake:
Joukje and Alice getting ready to continue their bicycle journey... an early morning departure under Auggie's watchful, mournful gaze.
030218_A new project and initiative for Dr. Aiken and Ms. Morris:
https://spark.adobe.com/video/ag9ewnM2LkiHE
251117_An end-of-semester racklette... with (from left) Chris, Aira, Laura, DA, Fred, Sarah... and MM taking the picture. And good fun was had by all.
241017_We reap what we sow... 2017's October olive harvest in Begadan (only 4 trees) tripled that of 2016!
290617_Artists & philosophers, UCR alumni & friends, in Begadan, FR for an international summer exchange (chez Aiken).
 |
| Ane, Clara, Alina, Ruben, Laura, Alex, Christiane, Sjef, DA |
 |
| Ane, Clara, Alina, Ruben, Laura & Alex |
 |
| Clara, Alex, Christiane, DAW, DA, Alina, Ruben, Laura, & Sjef's hand |
040217_Caffeinated complicity - UCR French & Philosophy (280117)
131116_A philosophical 'Oh sh%t' moment... from Adorno
Mid-October_A philosophically minded dinner chez Aiken... with Alice & David (the cook & assistant to the cook), Moritz, and Christian. And good fun was had by all.
121116_Hieronymus Trump
181016_The Canine Philosopher at work dispensing philosophical therapy, with Mijke as the victim.
120816_A summer-like sentiment... set to a DAW photo (taken in Royan, summer 2016)
080816_From Feynman....
090716_Clara Sporer (UCR class of 2016) visiting Begadan...
080616_Full front cover to Fire Under the Horizon's 2013 production of Prometheus Bound.
080616_Humm...?
120516_Sans commentaire....
100516_UCR Favorite Teachers 2016
 |
| DAW, DA, Alexei, Gerda |
 |
| abzlove19.jpg |
 |
| Another Uncanny Resemblance |
050216_Bernie Sanders even has something to teach teachers about the technique of the classroom lecture... a wonderful visual lesson for philosophy lecturers: Bernie Sanders as a Rabbi officiating at a wedding reception.
240116_Phronti in ceremonial garb...
 |
| Esfaind & Franz trying to teach the Phronti philosopher about Selfies.. |
060116_Is this really what Plato imagined with his notion of a Philosopher-King (Resp)? Perhaps something in blond... ?
 |
| Tomfoolery on Epiphany |
 |
| A modern-day symposium |
 |
| The French teacher and the philosopher.... |
021215_A philosophically minded raclette chez Aiken, with (top photo, l to r) David, Jef, DAW, DA, AnnaMarie, Alice, and Sarah (taking photo). And much fun was had by all...
221115_From Eric Emmanuel Schmitt's Facebook page:
191115_On behalf of Phrontisterion's Canine Philosopher: For Diesel.
In hommage: "PETA a diffusé un communiqué pour rendre hommage à "son courage à affronter ceux qui ont causé tant de souffrance". "Qu’elle repose en paix, avec les autres individus innocents pris aux piège par cette violence", a ajouté l'association."
Articles about Diesel:
151115_To remind us that, despite the waves that roil about and menace to submerge us, the Spirit of Paris abides: Fluctuat nec mergitur. From the pen of Joann Sfar:
 |
| Joann Sfar |
041015_American culture has abandoned critical thinking as a cultural value. Anti-intellectualism, however, which is the name for when a society fails in being able, or simply does not wish to connect the dots, "comes with a hugh price..." From Psychology Today's "Anti-intellectualism Is Killing America"
190915_From Zen Pencils (108). Why does a fire burn in some, but not in others?
"Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) was a German activist who is famous for speaking out against the Nazi regime. Scholl was a member of a protest group called The White Rose, which was formed by her brother Hans, and some of his university friends. The group mainly consisted of students in their early twenties who were fed up with the totalitarian rule of the government. The Nazis controlled every aspect of society – the media, police, military, judiciary system, communication system, all levels of education and all cultural and religious institutions. The White Rose distributed leaflets urging their fellow Germans to oppose the regime through non-violent resistance.
On 22nd February 1943, after the release of the sixth White Rose leaflet, Sophie, Hans and fellow member Christoph Probst were arrested by the Gestapo and convicted of treason. They were executed that same day by guillotine. Sophie was 21 years old.
UPDATE: The source of this quote has been disputed. It’s been sourced on Wikiquote, but on further investigation by some readers, it can’t be 100% confirmed. It could have originated from a 1991 play about Scholl written by Lillian Garrett-Groag."
 |
| From Zen Pencils |
060815_UCR philosophers, plus DAW & philosophical canine, stack annual wood delivery.
 |
| Ruben & Alina: What would Kant say? |
 |
| R, A, DA, & Canine Manager |
 |
| Canine Manager taking a break, assisted by R, A, & DAW |
 |
| DAW showing us all the Bottom Line. |
250615_"What does it mean to be me? Jean-Paul Sartre and the existential choice: ‘In fashioning myself, I fashion humanity’"
100615_Art Spiegelman... from The New Republic: "The Controversy Over Muhammad Cartoons Is Not About the Prophet Muhammad."
 |
| Art Spiegelman's "First Amendment Fundamentalist" |
150515_Existential chickens....?
070515_From UCR's Academic Affairs Council:
TOTY 2015 is a wrap!
Thank you for attending, and congratulations to the winning professors!
In case you could attend the event, but would still like to know the winners:
- Academic Core Department:
Dr. Anya Luscombe
- Science Department:
Dr. Ir. Richard van den Doel
- Arts and Humanities Department:
Dr. David Aiken
- Social Science Department and Overall Best Teacher:
Dr. Alexei Karas
On top of that, a lot of you mentioned a special feat on your ballots, namely the amount of involvement by Dr. Dario Fazzi! Because of this, he was also invited to receive a TOTY Certificate for Most Involved Teacher!
We hope you enjoyed, and we hope to see you at next year's Teacher Of The Year Awards.
160415_Existential Movie night chez Aiken (The Seventh Seal & Lost Horizon). Nota Bene- the blurry images are a metaphorical reminder of the rather blurry nature of reality when seen through the existentialist lens.
060415_Holzwege, Aiken style.... Heidegger: Eat your heart out!
 |
| Easter in the Eifel |
 |
| Philosophical companionship |
020415_ Liberty of Religion
070215_
030215_TEDGlobal 2011; Alain de Botton: Atheism 2.0. "What aspects of religion should atheists (respectfully) adopt? Alain de Botton suggests a "religion for atheists" — call it Atheism 2.0 — that incorporates religious forms and traditions to satisfy our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence."
010215_Exclusive Interview with 'Charlie Hebdo' Cartoonist Luz.
250115_The 'west' in a nutschell--Charlie Hebdo meets manspread.
170115_Speech by Rotterdam mayor Aboutaleb on Jan 8th, 2015 -- Je suis Charlie. English Subtitles by Sarah Carter [UCR colleague!] with thanks to Daniel Eusebio Roque, George Tas & Max. See another Huffington Post interview here, and Mayor Aboutaleb's short TedxRotterdam talk here.
140115_What it looks like when a populist event (the peoples' Je suis Charlie march in Paris) gets hijacked and translated into a political photo-op moment... Where are the other 1.5 million marchers?
130115_
120115_The Bill Maher Show of 9 Jan, 2015 - Je Suis Charlie, with Salman Rushdie.
110115_Bill Maher on Free Speech, Charlie Hebdo, and Sony, at HBO Real Time Jan. 9, 2015.
171214_A pre-Christmas koinonia in the very best philosophical tradition.
 |
| A Dutch art historian eating warm lunch? |
 |
| Alumni & friends: Esfaind (de dos), Jair, Willem, the philosopher, Daniel, Kim, DAW (taking the shot) |
301114_"What makes something right or wrong?" Narrated by Stephen Fry - That's Humanism!
301114_Albert Camus: The Madness of Sincerity — 1997 Documentary Revisits the Philosopher’s Life & Work
271114_Dan Dennett: Dangerous memes_TED talk.
301014_From Macarena at ToonDoo... it's hard to win an argument with a philosopher!
290914_A short video from The School of Life introducing Epicurus, perhaps the most famous philosopher committed to the idea of human pleasure. It is predictable, historically speaking, that Epicurus and Epicurean philosophy would not become very popular among early Christian thinkers more dedicated to the life of the soul and the suppression of the body.
250914_A little philosophy with those tacos? Thursday evening at the Aikens - an impromptu international taco festival with (l to r): Dan (former student USA), Frank, Ruben (present student NL), Bas (former student NL), Ron, Teacher, Sabina (former student NL), and Margaret to immortalize the photo op.
220914_Chris Hedges' talk at the most recent Fighting Bob Fest is an excellent example of why Freedom of Speech must remain protected in democratic society, and why our schools and universities must continue to focus on the job of "training" citizens of virtue (=courage) who will speak out their ideas in the public arena--for such is the Cost of Freedom. From their site: "Freedom and justice are defended through education, and the exchange of
ideas promotes solidarity among progressives. To this end, Fighting Bob
Fest strives to provide citizens with a forum for democratic
participation where frustrations with current policies can be
constructively molded into calls to action."
210914_An excerpt from John Lloyd's Ted Talk: What's invisible? More than you think.
210814_Another visual jewel from the desk of Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com] in celebration of Robert F. Kennedy's 'Day of Affirmation Address' (aka "A Tiny Ripple of Hope"), which was delivered at Cape Town University on June 6th 1966, Cape Town, South Africa. For the complete transcript and audio, click here.
080814_There are two reasons why plagiarism is an issue: 1) depending overly much on someone else's work does not allow the individual to discover himself by evolving fully into his own thinking; 2) using someone else's work and ideas without giving clear credit as to their origin does not allow the Audience/Teacher/etc. to assess truly the value or quality of the ideas and argument of the work that is presented.
060814_An inspired reading position for those valiant who are trying to wade through Heidegger's letters to his wife:
240714-Final installment of recent words of wisdom posters available from Zen Pencils:
210714_The penultimate installment of words of wisdom available at Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com]:
170714_Second installment of words of wisdom available at Zen Pencils:
160714_Words (images?) of wisdom from Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com]-- installment 1:
050714_(From the desk of Existential Comics): What would the world cup between French and German philosophers look like? (Thanks for the heads-up, Dan!)
140614_A reminder from Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com] that we are never ultimately alone in our accomplishments, either personally or professionally -- because our only merit is that we are following out pathways that were pointed out by those who have come and gone before us!
010614_Auggie, the canine philosopher of the Aiken clan, is one year old today!
230514_A reminder from Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com] that the credit for living, acting, doing [fill in the verb!] will only go to the man who has been in the arena:
090514_Announcing the new Zen Pencils POSTER STORE at Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com]. Poster-sized words of wisdom...
090414_Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882): American philosopher and poet; co-founder of the Transcendentalist Club and eponymous mid-19th century philosophical movement. Most famous, perhaps, for his magnificent paean to the self, called Self-Reliance.
020414_American philosophers, for better and for worse, seem to be natural born trail-blazers...
300414_A hermeneutical problem if ever there was... We have all experienced STRESS; but is the experience of stress positive or negative, beneficial or harmful?
A short TED talk from Stanford's Kelly MeGonigal: How to make stress your friend.
250314_The inimitable Jon Steward...
230314_Feynman on questions and answers....
220314_From DAW's desk, who tries to remind me, ever so gently, about what is important.
And then she sends me a photo of philosopher and philo-junior installing DAW's new kitchen counter over the break... and I realize that the boys in this clan must be doing something right after all.
200314_What if everyone just took "their" own toys and went home... where would the Elgin Marbles live, stolen Nazi art, and most of the stuff housed in the world's museums; to which Indian tribe/s would the Americans give back New York; would Texas have to go back to Mexico, Louisiana back to the French, and the Sudetenland back to the Germans, again, before it goes back to former Czechoslovakia (does ownership transfer when a country changes names?), and then should it not go back to surviving members of the Habsburg family, and then back to the Bohemian Crown (and just where does that Crown live today?), and then we will have to busy ourselves with finding remnants of the Celtic and Boii tribes that originally settled the region?
Where do we start in this process? And where stop? It would seem that "ownership" is a tricky business, and not entirely grounded in either Justice or Just Thinking.
190314_In response to the new film, Noah, Bill Maher provides an insightful critique against reading the biblical book of Genesis literally. If we get beyond the sarcasm, the questions Maher asks about the logic of the biblical flood narrative are impossible to answer intelligently; and the way in which the Deity is profiled is indeed pathetic. How this story has been handled by the various religious communities is not a matter of faith--that old chestnut is hackneyed and unacceptable. Rather, it is about willful irrationality, which, if that is the true definition of faith, is the most dangerous of all the opiates. "This May Be Bill Maher's Most Intense Rant Against Religions – All Of Them - Yet."
150314_Words of Wisdom. The first, from a former student (thanks, Tim E.!)-- Life's Journey...it's all about attitude!!!!
The second, from DAW's desk:
080314_I guess this was predictable.
070314_A great friend and colleague of mine, who taught theater, loved this brilliant Bergman-esque short called De Duva. This is a depiction of existentialist world-Angst at its very best, with
060314_On Wednesday mornings the UCR Hellenophiles sit together and read Greek. DAW caught a moment this last week.
020314_If one were to translate Convergence, Jackson Pollock's painting, into a person, what would that person be like?
140214_Just a little reminder that Puppy Love is alive and well, if you just know where to look for it...
240114_For a hilarious and informative conversation about a distinctly American tweak on Christianity and Women, Women's Reproductive Rights, and the Place of Women in America's male-oriented Political Agenda, here is a decidedly un-PC video for your viewing pleasure:
070114_A visual from Anthony Anaxagorou:
211213_DAW's two boys practicing their philosophy focus training... here.
121213_ An (ORIGINAL) Camus vs. Sartre BBC video on youtube. This documentary "is about the battle between these two great writer/philosophers after WWII in Paris over Camus' book The Rebel." UCR students of existentialism are fairly unique among undergraduate students of philosophy in that they had to read the entire book for class!
081213_
121013_Master Auggie & Humble Disciple practicing their philosophical meditation on a rainy day afternoon in Begadan...
210913_The New York City Ballet's visual interpretation of the dance of life -- NEW BEGINNINGS.
140813_Auggie (short for a very august canine philosopher- think: Cesar Augustus, the month of August, and august or regal bearing) had his first visit to the vet this afternoon. What do you think his impression of that visit was? He's already a natural at hiding his real thoughts!
130813_We've added a very junior philosopher to the Aiken clan... a 2-month old (male) Border Collie who doesn't have a name yet. Any suggestions?
210914_An excerpt from John Lloyd's Ted Talk: What's invisible? More than you think.
210814_Another visual jewel from the desk of Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com] in celebration of Robert F. Kennedy's 'Day of Affirmation Address' (aka "A Tiny Ripple of Hope"), which was delivered at Cape Town University on June 6th 1966, Cape Town, South Africa. For the complete transcript and audio, click here.
080814_There are two reasons why plagiarism is an issue: 1) depending overly much on someone else's work does not allow the individual to discover himself by evolving fully into his own thinking; 2) using someone else's work and ideas without giving clear credit as to their origin does not allow the Audience/Teacher/etc. to assess truly the value or quality of the ideas and argument of the work that is presented.
060814_An inspired reading position for those valiant who are trying to wade through Heidegger's letters to his wife:
240714-Final installment of recent words of wisdom posters available from Zen Pencils:
210714_The penultimate installment of words of wisdom available at Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com]:
170714_Second installment of words of wisdom available at Zen Pencils:
160714_Words (images?) of wisdom from Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com]-- installment 1:
050714_(From the desk of Existential Comics): What would the world cup between French and German philosophers look like? (Thanks for the heads-up, Dan!)
140614_A reminder from Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com] that we are never ultimately alone in our accomplishments, either personally or professionally -- because our only merit is that we are following out pathways that were pointed out by those who have come and gone before us!
010614_Auggie, the canine philosopher of the Aiken clan, is one year old today!
230514_A reminder from Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com] that the credit for living, acting, doing [fill in the verb!] will only go to the man who has been in the arena:
090514_Announcing the new Zen Pencils POSTER STORE at Zen Pencils [gavin@zenpencils.com]. Poster-sized words of wisdom...
050514_And so it begins for spring 2014 final papers....
270414_From the desk of Richard Feynman...
250414_Mark Twain on Travel...
170414_The immortal Fred Rogers... on love.
160414_The final installment of Zen pencils' Emerson prints:
120414_DAW was inspired to create several visual musings, one about 'knowing the heart of man' based on a meme from Kant:
 |
| Richard Feynman |
250414_Mark Twain on Travel...
170414_The immortal Fred Rogers... on love.
160414_The final installment of Zen pencils' Emerson prints:
and the other a video about Teaching and Learning, featuring Homo & Canis lupus familiaris Ludens (Auggie is about 11 weeks old).
090414_Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882): American philosopher and poet; co-founder of the Transcendentalist Club and eponymous mid-19th century philosophical movement. Most famous, perhaps, for his magnificent paean to the self, called Self-Reliance.
A short TED talk from Stanford's Kelly MeGonigal: How to make stress your friend.
250314_The inimitable Jon Steward...
230314_Feynman on questions and answers....
220314_From DAW's desk, who tries to remind me, ever so gently, about what is important.
And then she sends me a photo of philosopher and philo-junior installing DAW's new kitchen counter over the break... and I realize that the boys in this clan must be doing something right after all.
200314_What if everyone just took "their" own toys and went home... where would the Elgin Marbles live, stolen Nazi art, and most of the stuff housed in the world's museums; to which Indian tribe/s would the Americans give back New York; would Texas have to go back to Mexico, Louisiana back to the French, and the Sudetenland back to the Germans, again, before it goes back to former Czechoslovakia (does ownership transfer when a country changes names?), and then should it not go back to surviving members of the Habsburg family, and then back to the Bohemian Crown (and just where does that Crown live today?), and then we will have to busy ourselves with finding remnants of the Celtic and Boii tribes that originally settled the region?
Where do we start in this process? And where stop? It would seem that "ownership" is a tricky business, and not entirely grounded in either Justice or Just Thinking.
190314_In response to the new film, Noah, Bill Maher provides an insightful critique against reading the biblical book of Genesis literally. If we get beyond the sarcasm, the questions Maher asks about the logic of the biblical flood narrative are impossible to answer intelligently; and the way in which the Deity is profiled is indeed pathetic. How this story has been handled by the various religious communities is not a matter of faith--that old chestnut is hackneyed and unacceptable. Rather, it is about willful irrationality, which, if that is the true definition of faith, is the most dangerous of all the opiates. "This May Be Bill Maher's Most Intense Rant Against Religions – All Of Them - Yet."
150314_Words of Wisdom. The first, from a former student (thanks, Tim E.!)-- Life's Journey...it's all about attitude!!!!
080314_I guess this was predictable.
070314_A great friend and colleague of mine, who taught theater, loved this brilliant Bergman-esque short called De Duva. This is a depiction of existentialist world-Angst at its very best, with
060314_On Wednesday mornings the UCR Hellenophiles sit together and read Greek. DAW caught a moment this last week.
020314_If one were to translate Convergence, Jackson Pollock's painting, into a person, what would that person be like?
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| Jackson Pollock's Convergence (1952) |
"You’re all over the place — one minute you’re up, the next
you’re down, and you leave a glorious mess in your wake. People try to copy
you, but they can’t hold a candle to your zest."
140214_Just a little reminder that Puppy Love is alive and well, if you just know where to look for it...
240114_For a hilarious and informative conversation about a distinctly American tweak on Christianity and Women, Women's Reproductive Rights, and the Place of Women in America's male-oriented Political Agenda, here is a decidedly un-PC video for your viewing pleasure:
070114_A visual from Anthony Anaxagorou:
211213_DAW's two boys practicing their philosophy focus training... here.
121213_ An (ORIGINAL) Camus vs. Sartre BBC video on youtube. This documentary "is about the battle between these two great writer/philosophers after WWII in Paris over Camus' book The Rebel." UCR students of existentialism are fairly unique among undergraduate students of philosophy in that they had to read the entire book for class!
081213_
121013_Master Auggie & Humble Disciple practicing their philosophical meditation on a rainy day afternoon in Begadan...
140813_Auggie (short for a very august canine philosopher- think: Cesar Augustus, the month of August, and august or regal bearing) had his first visit to the vet this afternoon. What do you think his impression of that visit was? He's already a natural at hiding his real thoughts!
130813_We've added a very junior philosopher to the Aiken clan... a 2-month old (male) Border Collie who doesn't have a name yet. Any suggestions?
According to the Wiki-gods: "The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. Ranked number one in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs and typically extremely energetic, acrobatic, smart and athletic, they frequently compete with great success in dog sports, in addition to their success in sheepdog trials, and are often cited as the most intelligent of all dogs. In January 2011, a Border Collie was reported to have learned 1,022 words, and acts consequently to human citation of those words."
This means, of course, that this little dog is probably gifted with more innate intelligence than I am, which will undoubtedly lead to no end of interesting and philosophically-laden "conversations" in the Aiken household! Poor Margaret!!
310713_DAW snapped one of il professore valiantly working up against a blog post deadline.
120713_And then a UCR student of philosophy (Ian Pennock is the guilty party!) is in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and walks into a secondhand bookshop and what does he find...
Our Intro. to Philosophy text - Plato's Last Days of Socrates. Happy travels, Ian... and keep thinking those Big Thoughts!
050713_UCR philosophers on the move -- beachward, then homeward.
020713_UCR philosophers chez Aiken in France.
150613_More Useful Skills for Philosophers and Other Seekers of Wedded Bliss.
260513_More of that marital bliss stuff.
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| DAW as Queen of the Move |
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| Hubby as Philosopher-Laborer |
200513_A philosopher-husband's new part-time job... Job Supervisor = DAW; hired help = guess... A word to the wise for all of you under-employed philosophers -- get married!
180513_The End of Hermeneutics. The Hermeneutics class discussing high-minded things, such as "we're sure glad the semester is almost over!" at a Turn in Your Final Paper Aperitif chez Aiken.
180513_The End of Hermeneutics. The Hermeneutics class discussing high-minded things, such as "we're sure glad the semester is almost over!" at a Turn in Your Final Paper Aperitif chez Aiken.
160513_UCR philosophers ruminating Last Minute ideas
-- a variation on a Psalmist idea: we will lift up our eyes to the hills...
from whence cometh our help?
060513_An
existentialist (Stella) receiving birthday wishes from UCR
friends.
230413_From
a student: How do Scientists Think About God? Richard Feynman's answer.
130413_More UCR Students of Existentialism, but this time wandering around in Bergman's Death-filled imagination -- The Seventh Seal (1957).
"Freedom of the Press Foundation is dedicated to supporting journalism that combats overreaching government secrecy. We have been disturbed that Manning’s pre-trial hearings have been hampered by the kind of extreme government secrecy that his releases to WikiLeaks were intended to protest."
Is Futurama the Best Argument Against Transhumanism?
Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools kill curiosity?
Harold Pinter's Interpretation of Jean Paul Sartre's
No Exit (Huis Clos) - in English
The Next Financial Crisis - Bill Moyer Interview
Here is a link to a recent (Fall 2012) informational video concerning the philosophy program at my former institution, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan.
For your viewing pleasure...
RA philosophers in Begadan, the musical
On teaching.
