Philosophy Articles

My favorite quotes on education

By Stephen S. | 2/4/2013 9:15 PM CST |

The advertisement on Wyzant asked for my favorite quotes on education. So I feel obliged to recount them.

"Education without salvation is damnation." --Bob Jones Sr, Founder of Bob Jones University
Brains and education can be a fantastic thing. But, in and of itself, education is not the supreme good. It is not a goal, in and of itself. The devil is not a dummy. He is the smartest being in the universe, outside of Jesus Christ. But his brains do not affect his character, his morality, or his good intentions. If anything, his intelligence worsens his wicked traits. Remember Germany in WWII...

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What Interested Me in Philosophy...

By Stephen C. | 9/29/2012 10:48 PM CST |

Philosophy

When I was an undergraduate, I remember my first day in my introduction to philosophy class at Washington & Jefferson College, which was team-taught by David Schrader and Lloyd Mitchell (guest starring Andrew Rembert, on occasion). The course was subtitled “Beginning the Conversation,” and the two professors introduced the material on the first day by characterizing philosophy as an ongoing conversation about what is important to know, to do, and to believe in a human life and for humanity in general. (This, of course, is what I recall from ten years ago – and my memory of their lecture that...

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A Student Made my Day

By Gilant P. | 6/15/2012 5:03 PM CST |

Alex made my day today. He passed the Global History and Geography Regents Exam!! Let me tell you a little bit about Alex. When I first met him, he came to tutoring two hours late. The next day an 11/2 late. He was on time on the third day, but by the next week it was back to being Alex. He did not show up for tutoring nor did he call. He would do assignments if he felt like it. There was always an excuse for something, but he would never take responsibility for his actions.

When I finally sat down with he and his mother and told them that at the rate Alex was going, he was not going...

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Standardized Exams - Tip 3

By Keith T. | 4/14/2012 7:03 AM CST |

This blog is specific to the AP (Advanced Placement Exams).

Not to date myself any further but how things have changed. When I was in High School, there were only a handful of exams that a student could sit for in terms of Advanced placement exams. There were your basic sciences, such as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and of course English Literature and US Government. However, nowadays, students have up to 34 AP exams to choose from, ranging from Chinese to Art History to French or any other subjects a student could imagine.

So why sit for these exams? what are the advantages?

First is...

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Present Imperfect

By Theresa H. | 7/31/2011 1:52 AM CST |

The following is both an example of my own writing, and a sample of my philosophy. Having studied logic, I have applied it to my own expression of faith. Whether or not you share my faith, I invite you to read it, if only as a way of determining my ability to help you learn either writing, or the study of logic. Please enjoy it.

I love being a tutor. It’s probably the best job I’ve ever had, because it gives me an opportunity to share skills and tools I have learned or developed, so that others, too, may reach higher and strive for more. I believe that teaching is a vocation; a way...

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Training your intuition

By John M. | 12/7/2010 6:45 PM CST |

For most people, solving a problem or a question is not difficult if they have a model to follow and the correct data to plug into the model. Take one of the most basic functions, paying for something at a cash register. If the cashier tells you the Happy Meal costs (with tax) $4.23, and you hand the cashier a $10.00 bill, I suspect that most cashiers will give and most people will expect their $5.77 in change. Oh, you can confuse people and make the problem more difficult (7 dimes, a nickel and two pennies, rather than 3 quarters and two pennies), but these are just "tricks." This works,...

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Is studying the humanities practical? An interesting perspective from a CEO

By Alan G. | 11/11/2010 10:54 AM CST |

So you think literature, writing, history, philosophy, art aren’t “practical subjects”? Think again! Here is what Matthew W. Barrett, CEO of Barclay's Bank had to say about the subject:

“If you can get me a young person who can divine the patterns of imagery in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, it would take me just a half hour to teach that person how to break down a balance sheet.

Teach kids the humanities, and give them a broad liberal education, and I’ll teach them business skills. I hate schools that have been co-opted by business. I’d rather you taught people to think, because...

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Some notes on learning a foreign language like Italian

By Bruce G. | 2/23/2010 12:09 PM CST |

Italian,
Philosophy

I teach Italian and philosophy. This note is about learning a foreign language not only Italian. When you try to learn a foreign language never expect a systematic one-to one word corresponding translation. Dictionaries offer approximate translations of words that may behave quite differently within the language that you are studying. One example is the corresponding words in Italian of 'to have' and 'to be', that are 'avere; and 'essere'.

Up to a point it is true that you translate those words in such a maner but only up to a point. The auxiliary 'to have' in a past tense like, 'I have...

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How Economics in our Society Works

By Andrew L. | 1/28/2010 3:59 PM CST |

Study Skills,
GED,
ACT,
GRE,
Economics,
10 more...

Economics is a fragile and often overlooked subject matter. It effects every one of our lives, whether we want it to or not. Will we have a house to sleep in, can we afford college, what are we going to eat tonight, do I get that 42 or that 56 inch TV?

Sadly, even though every person's life is influenced by our economic state, a surprisingly small amount of people understand it or even care about it. I feel obliged to enlighten those who want to understand and compelled to spark an interest for those who have no care.

I like to explain economic theory by utilizing an analogy. Economic...

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