Category: Uncategorized
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Thoughts about Everything Everywhere All at Once
Nothing really profound here. And maybe that’s the point? Below are some words I wrote in a thread on Facebook discussing their reception of the movie. I came into that thread in a section where they mentioned their disappointment at the mode of nihilism being worked with in the movie; a “passive nihilism” was how…
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Fostering Trust through Effective Communication and Action
This week I’ve been reflecting on a passage from Mencius (the latinized way of referring to Mengzi 孟子), an important person in the early development of Confucian philosophy: “Benevolence (仁 ren) is like archery. An archer corrects himself and only then shoots. If he shoots but does not hit the mark, he does not resent…
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Reflecting on a Year of Death
The Verge has published a memorial for my friend, Molly. The Covid-19 Pandemic began for me, in earnest, when my friend called me and told me that Molly had killed herself. I was in the office and I got the call. In my lectures, when I was a professor of Philosophy and Art History, I…
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CFP for ISCP at the 2019 APA Eastern
The International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP) plans to host two panel sessions at the 2019 Eastern Division Meeting of American Philosophical Association (APA) on January 7-10 in New York City, NY. The ISCP will be co-sponsoring a special session with the Karl Jaspers Society of North America (KJSNA) at the APA Eastern this year.…
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Human Head Transplants in China
Karen Rommelfanger and I wrote an editorial for Newsweek discussing some of the ethical issues we think need to be discussed. It’s a short piece for a general readership. We also wrote a more scholarly editorial introducing (here) the new special issue of AJOB Neuroscience, the official journal of the International Neuroethics Society, dedicated to Canavero…
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Teaching and Gongfu
I’m teaching five sections of a General Education Introduction to Philosophy course this semester and I’m grateful for this 功夫 (gongfu/kung fu) practice. I am revisiting Peimin Ni’s writings about Confucius and to him I am grateful and will make liberal references. Before I decided to go to college I was fortunate to study Shaolin…
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Atlanta as a Site for Critical Inquiry for Contemporary Art Students
Below is the abstract for what I’ll be presenting at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s Annual Conference on Scholarly Teaching in May. I’ve written about these matters previously, for Burnaway/ArtsATL and for Art Papers. These ideas are also a significant part of my essay published in Dawn Keetley’s edited volume, “We’re All Infected” Essays on AMC’s…
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That Girl Ain’t Your Friend
Arturo Di Modica is upset about Kristen Visbal’s sculpture in front of his sculpture. The story circulating in social media and “news” outlets is that Di Modica feels hurt. Who cares? The conversations I’ve had so far with folks, smart folks whom I like mind you, is something along the lines of, “Sorry, Charlie, she’s powerful…
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Cultural Techniques for an Aesthetic Intervention Involving Domestic Surveillance Technologies
Below are the remarks I made, slightly altered, during the “Aesthetics of Surveillance” conference hosted by the German Studies Department at Vanderbilt University. I presented with my collaborator and friend, Justin Joque, on a panel with Kierstin Brehm from UC–Irvine. Justin and I have been collaborating on a project we call the “NSA Bodhisattva Project,”…
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Thinking about Shenkui
I’ve recently joined a Facebook group for folks who are interested in discussing Ruist 儒學 philosophy and it’s been very stimulating. I’m glad to be among that group because there are so many very knowledgable and thoughtful folks there that I am sure I will become a better scholar and person from their influence and…