Colloquial Philosophy
It’s my conviction that philosophical themes and topics can be found nearly everywhere. (Tolerance? Artificial intelligence? Revenge? Hope? Offensive speech? Dictionary definitions? Free will?) I’m convinced that many people can enjoy thinking about these and other issues. Some such topics are central to social issues and of clear practical importance. Tolerance and offensive speech are obvious examples. And yet for the uninitiated, much philosophical writing is unapproachable, awkward, and even obscure. Technical terms like “permissivism,” “lexical priority,” “deontological,” and “panentheism” may be off-putting, so I avoid them if I can. Philosophical dialogues especially intrigue me and I’ve had a number of them read aloud to appreciative audiences. It’s especially rewarding to see different views presented in a back-and-forth format that provides a good basis for discussion. Dialogues can be useful to introduce a subject to a class, which can then go on to pursue the topic in more depth. Calgary’s Apeiron Society and Association for Lifelong Learners, and philosophy departments in Waterloo, Red Deer, Lethbridge, and Calgary have helped me by hosting these dialogues. One enthusiastic participant even arranged eighteenth dress when she participated in a dialogue about rescue and Kant’s ethics. My book God the Devil and the Perfect Pizza (1989) is a collection of early colloquial pieces. More recent columns and dialogues are made available here (see below).
Dialogues:
Experience as Property: A Dialogue in Three Parts
The Problem of Offensive Speech: A Dialogue in Three Parts
Misery and Charity: A Dialogue on Charity
The Grizzly Trophy: A Dialogue on Trophy Hunting
Equality, Optimism, and Revolution
A Dilemma of Rescue
Destiny
In the Press:
“Faith and Thinking”, Humanist Perspectives 154
“Politicians and Trust” Humanist Perspectives 155
“Respect, Belief and Disbelief” Humanist Perspectives 158
“Multiculturalism and Moral Relativism” Humanist Perspectives 159
“The Ethics and Politics of Revenge” Humanist Perspectives 162
“Visiting Uninhabited Islands” Humanist Perspectives 163
“Pressing for Remorse” Humanist Perspectives 164
"The Famous, or Infamous, Slippery Slope" Humanist in Canada (Spring 2005)
"What is Conscience?" Humanist in Canada (Winter 2004)
Trudy's contributions to 'In the Agora: The Public Face of Canadian Philosophy' (2006)
"Kindness"
"What is Government For?"
"Vulnerability"
"Murdering Trees"
It’s my conviction that philosophical themes and topics can be found nearly everywhere. (Tolerance? Artificial intelligence? Revenge? Hope? Offensive speech? Dictionary definitions? Free will?) I’m convinced that many people can enjoy thinking about these and other issues. Some such topics are central to social issues and of clear practical importance. Tolerance and offensive speech are obvious examples. And yet for the uninitiated, much philosophical writing is unapproachable, awkward, and even obscure. Technical terms like “permissivism,” “lexical priority,” “deontological,” and “panentheism” may be off-putting, so I avoid them if I can. Philosophical dialogues especially intrigue me and I’ve had a number of them read aloud to appreciative audiences. It’s especially rewarding to see different views presented in a back-and-forth format that provides a good basis for discussion. Dialogues can be useful to introduce a subject to a class, which can then go on to pursue the topic in more depth. Calgary’s Apeiron Society and Association for Lifelong Learners, and philosophy departments in Waterloo, Red Deer, Lethbridge, and Calgary have helped me by hosting these dialogues. One enthusiastic participant even arranged eighteenth dress when she participated in a dialogue about rescue and Kant’s ethics. My book God the Devil and the Perfect Pizza (1989) is a collection of early colloquial pieces. More recent columns and dialogues are made available here (see below).
Dialogues:
Experience as Property: A Dialogue in Three Parts
The Problem of Offensive Speech: A Dialogue in Three Parts
Misery and Charity: A Dialogue on Charity
The Grizzly Trophy: A Dialogue on Trophy Hunting
Equality, Optimism, and Revolution
A Dilemma of Rescue
Destiny
In the Press:
“Faith and Thinking”, Humanist Perspectives 154
“Politicians and Trust” Humanist Perspectives 155
“Respect, Belief and Disbelief” Humanist Perspectives 158
“Multiculturalism and Moral Relativism” Humanist Perspectives 159
“The Ethics and Politics of Revenge” Humanist Perspectives 162
“Visiting Uninhabited Islands” Humanist Perspectives 163
“Pressing for Remorse” Humanist Perspectives 164
"The Famous, or Infamous, Slippery Slope" Humanist in Canada (Spring 2005)
"What is Conscience?" Humanist in Canada (Winter 2004)
Trudy's contributions to 'In the Agora: The Public Face of Canadian Philosophy' (2006)
"Kindness"
"What is Government For?"
"Vulnerability"
"Murdering Trees"