Huenemann

“What are you going to do with a major in ___?”

Here is an article written recently about the relation between picking a major and getting a good job. Unsurprisingly, philosophy is an excellent choice!

Teachers & students

Here is a philosophical question for students and teachers alike:

What should the relationship be between students and teachers?

I’ll say a bit more to motivate the question. One model, maybe a traditional one, is that teachers are sort of “totally other” from the students: they have the knowledge, wisdom, and expertise, and they should command respect from the students and serve as a kind of challenge to the students. The icon here is Professor Kingsfield, the law professor in The Paper Chase — students do whatever they can to earn his respect, and he is constantly raising the bar for them.

A second model is the teacher as friend of the student, or a co-learner. In this case the teacher might even pretend to know less, to make the student feel as if he/she is making new discoveries along with the teacher.

I’m sure there are other models, or compromises between these two. What do you think?

New Philosophers’ Carnival

The latest Philosophers’ Carnival can be found here. One interesting feature (beyond the question of whether “all western thought” really is Cartesian, and God vs. the double-slit eraser experiment in quantum mechanics) is the fact that this Carnival is hosted by an undergraduate at Mississippi State. Very impressive!

Nussbaum’s Liberty of Conscience

Martha Nussbaum has a new book out, Liberty of Conscience, which addresses the territory surrounding freedom of religion and the first amendment. An interesting review, by the editor of the Catholic First Things, can be found here. I have yet to see the book, but I admire Nussbaum greatly, and I think she is one of the best philosophers writing today.

Brains and math

Here is a strange but true brain story about a guy who has trouble figuring out what number “5” represents, let alone adding and subtracting, but who has other unimpaired comeptencies. I find this interesting because the rationalist in me has always found the ability to comprehend math simply basic to having an intellect. I need to study the article further, but a quick read suggests he has an intellect without even a minimal capacity for math.