amuphilosophy

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Here’s an article I penned on the importance of friendship, especially in marriage. It makes reference to Prof. Alice Ramos’s wonderful Aquinas Lecture this year, “Befriending a Bad Person”.

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“Moderation”, by Tristan Shipe

One of my Ethics students, Tristan Shipe, wrote the following poem as inspired by Aristotle’s account in Nicomachean Ethics Book III.

Moderation

Sense of touch, fear, pleasure

The strength of character coming together

Plato defines this as moderation

Meanwhile Aristotle invites us into another conversation

More precise more defined

Temperance is distinct from the mind

Different from courage, the soundness of mind

A moral virtue and not three intertwined.

[amuphilosophy]

[amuphilosophy]

Aristotle on Aesthetics in Education

Aristotle always says it best.

“It is clear that children should be taught some useful subjects (such as reading and writing) not only because of their utility, but also because many other areas of study become possible through them. Similarly, they should be taught drawing not in order to avoid making mistakes in their private purchases or being cheated when buying or selling products, but rather because it makes them contemplate the beauty of bodies. It is complete inappropriate for magnanimous and free people to be always asking what use something is.” (Politics VIII.3)

Just in case anyone was wondering what was appropriate conduct for magnanimous and free people.

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The Philosophy Department has been active recently on Maria Vision’s “Catholic Challenge” show, aired live to a global audience. Above is my segment tonight on the ethics of pornography, and below is Dr. Joe Trabbic’s segment last week on proofs for the immortality of the soul. It was a great pleasure to have as an excellent interviewer and conversationalist our former student and AMU alum, Luke Lancaster!

[amuphilosophy]

A Platonic vision in Ave Maria.

Apparently this is called a “solar halo” and the world did not end today, fortunately for my students who begin their study of Plato’s Republic tomorrow.

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John Stuart Mill, on the value of learning a foreign language

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AMU Provost on the Value of Philosophy and Theology

Our Provost, Dr. Roger Nutt, offers a beautiful articulation of the value of studying philosophy in this recent podcast interview: tinyurl.com/99n67x6v

Some great quotes:

“People may perceive that we don’t do rigorous thinking here on campus. ‘We’re a Catholic university and we already know the answers, so we don’t have any more questions to ask’ -- that’s a naive and condescending way for people to treat us. The beautiful thing about the fullness of truth is that you can both possess it and desire to know it more fully. It’s only a really authentically Christian university that can pursue questioning in a well-ordered and satisfied way.”

“The education that we offer here at AMU not only helps students succeed and help make positive contributions in the world, but to flourish as human beings as well.”

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Mitch Muncy on the Value of a Philosophy Degree

My friend Mitch Muncy is quoted in this article on ‘what you can do’ with a major in philosophy:

“Philosophy prepares people to think about and understand the fundamental nature and broader purpose of the work they are doing,” says Mitchell Muncy, Founder and Principal of Prospera LLC, a consultancy for mission-driven organizations, who holds a master’s in philosophy and has hired candidates with philosophy degrees for a range of positions. The ability to see “beyond specific functions or tools” helps philosophy majors not only adapt to new environments but also come up with new strategies and ideas and make observations others may not have considered, Muncy says. “I would say that the great virtue of philosophy majors is not that they are particularly good at certain jobs, but that they can be good at any job and, more important, make extraordinary contributions.”

https://www.themuse.com/advice/philosophy-degree-jobs-careers?mc_cid=5b98f66f87&mc_eid=889284f113

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Philosophy According to the Saints

From Kevin Corrigan’s wonderful introduction to The Life of Saint Macrina, written by her younger brother, St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa:

“[T]he ideal of philosophy in [The Life of Saint Macrina] is in stark contrast to the sometimes narrow, academic discipline we know today. Its roots for Gregory lie in a living tradition which includes and, for the Christian, perfects the best of pagan thought, especially that of Socrates and Plato. For Macrina and Gregory philosophy is the spirit of living wisdom which embraces the whole of human life: prayer, manual work, hospitality, care of the sick, of the poor and the dying. It is a life entirely given to God, a life not without risk, a life lived ‘on the boundaries’ of human nature. It includes a vibrant intellectuality, life-long study and a spirit of true inquiry, and it culminates in the divine love of a person, Christ” (15-16).

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AMU Philosophy Department Forum: Capital Punishment

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The Importance of Marriage and Family

Looking forward to offering a philosopher’s perspective on marriage and family studies, at tomorrow’s panel.

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Philosophy and Quantum Mechanics

An exciting upcoming panel.

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Buona festa di s. Tommaso!

March 7 is St. Thomas's liturgical feast according to the pre-1969 General Roman Calendars. St. Thomas died on that date in 1274 at the abbey of Fossanova, where he had stopped after taking ill on his way with Reginald da Piperno to the second Council of Lyons.

January 28 is St. Thomas’s liturgical feast according to the General Roman Calendar of 1969. On that date in 1369 St. Thomas’s relics were translated to the Dominican church in Toulouse.

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"Why a Catholic Education at all? Visions from the Past and Applications to the Present”

I’m honored to be speaking at the American Catholic Philosophical Association’s next scheduled “Satellite Saturday” session, which will occur this Saturday, March 6, at 5pm ET. The session is titled “Why a Catholic Education at all? Visions from the Past and Applications to the Present.”

https://www.acpaconference.org/satellite-saturdays

The organizer’s description: “The session, organized by Naomi Fisher and the Loyola University Chicago Working Group on Catholic Higher Education, will feature presentations by Janice Chik Breidenbach, Joshua Hinchie, S.J., and David McPherson.Attendance at ACPA Satellite Saturdays is free for ACPA members. To register for these sessions and receive a Zoom link to attend, please see www.acpaconference.org/satellite-saturdays.”

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Philosophical Reflections for Lent

“It is good to work for material bread, to be grateful for it, but bad to be satisfied by it, terrible to be sated by it -- not to hunger for the love that gives life, to be content to live without wonder, impotent in the eternal arms.”

From Caryll Houselander’s “The Wilderness”, The Mother of Christ (1978)

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I’ll be offering some philosophical thoughts on love and friendship at this upcoming colloquium on Shakespeare’s play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, to be performed by our talented thespians at AMU.