Here is an article written recently about the relation between picking a major and getting a good job. Unsurprisingly, philosophy is an excellent choice!
A short list of philosophers to read
A student who is graduating soon was talking with me today about what to read on his own once he is out of school. It got us to talking about what philosophers are “must read” philosophers. I thought it might be a fun little posting, at least for those that are into “lists”. It is March Madness, so it is the time of year for deciding best teams and arguing about snubs. So, let’s cap it at 8 (arbitrary, but long enough to cause some debate between lists but not so long that you can easily compose your list). Who are the 8 most important philosophers (I am thinking Western)? Post your list. You might even include justifications, and perhaps a second list of “bubble philosophers” (ones who were close to being on the list but did not quite make the cut).
UPDATE: Here’s another list of the top ten.
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?
In defense of Western Civilization
An interesting article praising the west by George Weigel can be found here. He tries – amidst all the anti-west noise we hear from intellectuals – to defend Western Civilization by pointing out 6 reasons why the west is great. Go ahead and praise – and READ from – your own tradition!
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!
USUPhilosophy 