Teaching Philosophy, Misc

This paper presents a unified cross-disciplinary derivation connecting three foundational questions: What is Love? What governs truth and perfection? And what is the origin of Life? Beginning from the most primitive logical inputs available — 0 and 1 — and proceeding without cultural, philosophical, or religious assumption, the derivation demonstrates that these three questions are not separate. They are three expressions of one underlying logical structure. The derivation proceeds in three sequential movements. First: the absolute definition of Love — derived (...) from linguistics, philosophy, formal logic, biology, and physiology — is established as the deliberate choice to provide and protect Life within the boundaries of Truth. Second: the Law of Absolute Perfection — (1=1×1.) — is identified as the mathematical structure that precisely describes Love's unique capacity to give without diminishing, and is applied to truth, freedom, and corruption. Third: the origin of Life is reframed through this framework — demonstrating that the foundational error in all current scientific theories is directional. Life did not emerge from non-living matter. Life entered non-living matter. (shrink)

DRAFT The prestige of an academic institution may be determined as a function of affiliations with other academic institutions. Using digital tools to data-scrape, data-mine, and perform network analysis on university websites, an approximation of numbers of academic affiliations may be measured. Especially observing the alma mater institutions of the faculty of employed institutions, these numbers show the relative employment of alumni and a proxy metric for the relative prestige of their degree-granting institutions. These affiliations can be charted and graphed (...) to determine the distributions of affiliations throughout an academic ecosystem from which we might draw conclusions about that system’s hierarchies and inequalities. Here we use anglophone PhD-granting philosophy departments as a case study for this methodology with tentative conclusions. (shrink)

This paper explores the paradoxical claim “This article is not written by helping AI.” On the one hand, if AI contributes to the drafting process, the claim appears false. On the other hand, if authorship requires semantic intention and responsibility, then the claim may be true even when AI generates text. Drawing on Searle’s Chinese Room, Tarski’s theory of truth, and debates on authorship in philosophy of language, I argue that authorship requires intentionality and responsibility, which AI systems lack. The (...) paradox is resolved by distinguishing between syntactic production and semantic authorship. AI can assist in generating words, but authorship remains a human act of responsibility. -/- (This article is distinctive in nature, and its central problem is: who is the author?) Farzad Didehvar provided an AI system with only a single phrase in Persian, which translates into English as: “This article is not written by Helping AI.” From that seed, the AI generated a complete article in English. The article itself argues—semantically—that it was not written by an AI tool. At the same time, it was not literally written by Farzad either, since he only supplied the initial phrase. This raises a paradoxical question: if the article is neither authored by the AI nor by the human, then who is the true writer? An answer will be provided in the next article, but the author is interested in hearing other opinions. (shrink)

The development and ubiquitous availability of large language model based systems (LLMs) poses a plurality of potentials and risks for education in schools and universities. In this paper, we provide an analysis and discussion of the overreliance concern as one specific risk: that students might fail to acquire important capacities, or be inhibited in the acquisition of these capacities, because they overly rely on LLMs. We use the distinction between global and local goals of education to guide our investigation. In (...) our view, the harm of LLM overreliance is specifically that it severs the connection between local educational goals (e.g., solving a specific math problem) and global educational goals (e.g., acquiring general skills for mathematics). Based on this analysis, we sketch three possible responses to the overreliance concern: preserving the educational goals while distinguishing admissible from inadmissible uses of LLMs (a conservative approach), changing global and local educational goals (a revisionary perspective), and preserving global educational goals while changing local goals (an in-between view). Since different types of responses have different benefits and weaknesses, we think that it is likely that an optimal response ultimately combines elements from all three types. (shrink)

It is dark. I hope it is safe now to discuss the great question of our society: what is the difference between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge? I cannot write with confidence on this matter, but I have observed some lecturers with degrees from one or the other of these hallowed institutions. And from my observations I have come to the conclusion that the difference is quite small, but to your discerning "eye" it might be large indeed. To present (...) the difference, I must make a bold and probably unwise move. I shall present three entries from a fictional diary I conceived, of now Professor Miriam Ronzoni. My apologies. DAY 1 (2013): Dear Diary, my name is Miriam Ronzoni. I have joined the department of politics at the University of Manchester, or the discipline area of politics as it is called. It is evident that there has been much and traumatic conceptual mockery carried out by an individual, a Cambridge type. He does not have a Cambridge University degree, but the solution to that paradox is obvious: skip Cambridge and start the mockery early. I am a woman with an Oxford University degree. As a woman, I am empathetic. As an Oxford degree holder, I have reserved some brains for understanding others. My approach will be different. DAY ?? (2017?): Dear Diary, unlike bright young things from Cambridge University, I don't ask this person not to laugh in the research seminar. The function of such laughter is obvious. It helps sensitive people who are not studying enough to improve, by mocking them into improvement. But can it carry out this function if one is regarded as insane? I have a plan, because I am surely not regarded as insane. This person will come up with an extraordinarily clever piece of conceptual mockery. And I shall laugh! DAY ?? (2021): The conceptual mocker has gone and, in his place, I have been both mocking and laughing, hoping for students to improve by pricking their sensitivities. But now they do not want me to come to the department anymore. They think my place is in the kitchen. But also they still want some conceptual mockery to learn from. I am angry and a bit insane, I think. It is not about personality, social class, country of origin, Oxford or Cambridge: the social role available for me and persons of my level leads to this result. I shall make a video online to display my current situation and acknowledge my failed project. DIARY OVER. The puzzle I hope to have solved is what Professor Miriam Ronzoni is doing in a kitchen in her Youtube video lecture "How Should Republicans Conceive of Transnational Solidarity?" She is signalling "This is where they want me," but still providing teaching, and indicating that she did not get further than I did. (shrink)

This paper is an attempt at P.F. Strawson's style. It raises the question of whether philosophers should write for the gratification of outsiders with little knowledge of philosophy. I distinguish between readers seeking literary pleasures, even if the ideas expressed are not new, and readers seeking new ideas. I point out the advantages of being able to communicate to people in neighbouring specialisms at the same time and hopefully being able to better achieve fair evaluation because one will be valued (...) by a reader who is excited by one’s ideas regardless of social hierarchy and fashion. But I also point out disadvantages: obviously it makes the communication of complicated or subtle or nuanced points difficult; the uninitiated reader may not be able to distinguish a small step from what was before and an ingenious leap; and it usually does not help enhance one’s long-term prospects of staying in the philosophy curriculum. (shrink)

This question comes from a friend of mine, an economist. (And also the wife of a Caltech philosopher. We were introduced through a school friend of mine, in the 20th century.) By e-mail, I asserted that the average graduate at a certain elite university must be 20 years ahead of me, prompting the question of why think that. Maybe the thought is inaccurate in some ways. But here is some evidence from experience. (A) I was taught that when you are (...) writing a philosophy paper, you should take one point and cover it thoroughly (clarify it, consider a number of the best objections, etc.). You should not, to use a familiar metaphor, do half-baked work. In my "Cross-disciplinary communication and in defence of half-baked academic work," I drew attention to how presenting a number of half-baked points is a rational strategy when communicating to another discipline as well (or even another subdiscipline within philosophy). It is difficult to tell what they will value and if you do a number of these, the chances increase of one of your points being valued. I was taught to fully-bake in 2003, if not before, while this alternative strategy occurred to me in 2025. After it occurred to me, I remembered H.L.A. Hart's 1973 response to Rawls's liberty principle and P.M.S. Hacker's 1996 response to Davidson on conceptual schemes. They write in line with my half-baking strategy: so many points, most of which are forgotten by almost all readers! Do they already know about the strategy? Maybe not. Maybe someone does and it is already part of the tradition these Oxford philosophers are educated in to incorporate or be open to the half-baked approach, as a good idea in some contexts. The education they get equips them to overcome problems we would struggle to solve: solutions go against the education we provide. ("What are you doing that for? That can't work." No reply for decades.) (B) I shall give one other example. In 1997, Martha C. Nussbaum had published what she describes as an ill-mannered polemic against Nietzsche, in an academic journal. If you tell just about any philosophy or social science postgraduate here that you are writing such a thing, they will think, "How are you going to get published?" ("Are you insane?" even.) The academic journals they know do not publish ill-mannered polemics, to their knowledge! Maybe she figured out a solution to achieve the aim of ill-mannered polemic in academic journal largely by herself and against her background education, much like how I figured out the half-baking solution, but I suspect her education provides her with solutions. "You Martha C. Nussbaum are made for polemics and here is how you can succeed.". (shrink)

It seems to me that Professor Ingrid Robeyns is trying to represent a novice's perspective on popular philosophy in two of her blog posts for the website Crooked Timber: "How to write a good public philosophy book" (2022) and "What makes a popular philosophy book a good book?" (2013). She states things such as "an important difference between a scholarly philosophy book and a popular philosophy book should be its accessibility. It is fine for a scholarly philosophy book to be (...) written for fellow specialists and hence to be specialised and very likely ‘technical’ in some sense. By contrast, a popular book can, at best, assume an interest in philosophical questions and, perhaps, some basic philosophical background, but definitely nothing more. It should be accessible..." Where's the clever stuff? Where are the insider secrets? (For example, something like "Research shows that there are four main audiences for a popular philosophy book: professional philosophers - 45% of readers, academics in other disciplines, teenagers thinking to study philosophy, and people at risk of religious radicalization.") Anyway, how well does she do with representing the point of view of a reasonably intelligent but clueless person. Imagine she is at the front of a classroom and asks students, "So what do you think makes a good popular philosophy book?" Where's stuff about the cover? Look at the stimulating covers of Renata Salecl books! And where is having an exciting opening paragraph? Isn't that what bookshop browsers are mostly likely to read and then contemplate whether to buy? (Well, I imagine a Parfit-like character conducts a study on which pages different audiences are most like to turn to, while browsing. These people often open up the book in the middle first, etc.). (shrink)

Let's take "On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme" as an example. I guess it is not written for someone like you, despite how good at philosophy you are, all your family are, etc. It is written for two kinds of reader. One is highly sensitive to the text's structure and wording (and even literary value), and likely has a degree from Oxford University, such as P.M.S. Hacker or H.J. Glock. The other is not very sensitive at all. They (...) read some of the paper and register that Davidson is attacking an anthropologist claiming that others have an alien conceptual system, and then they take such claims as Davidson's main target. They read on for pages until they encounter talk of radical interpretation. "Finally, Davidson is going to apply his system to attack his target," they think. They register Davidson's claim that the radical interpreter cannot interpret others as having an alien conceptual system. Then, having noticed these things, they make a reasonable guess at his argument. "He is saying that if we cannot verify that others have such a system, then they don't!" (The specific location of the radical interpreter material in the structure of the paper is ignored.). (shrink)

I received a mental disorder diagnosis from North Manchester hospital in October 2023. In January 2024, I strangely wanted to work again at the university. I applied for some administration jobs: there are lots and they are all much the same in requirements. I improved my applications and around April 2024, I began to crack the system. Between April and July, I got three interviews: all in science faculties. I put my disability on the applications. (I doubt I have one, (...) so of course I wouldn't do that now.) I also got many rejections despite using the same application and there being a compulsory interview scheme given my "disability." I am worried this system is simply not consistent. (1) If one faculty interviews because of the disability compulsory interview requirement, they all should. (2) One faculty interviews because of this. Therefore (by modus ponens): (3) they all should. I am not sure if premise (2) is true, but I suspect it is: my only admin experience is from being a TA. (I had three interviews early this year with businesses without any disability scheme though, and one last year. I don't apply continuously.) Some other interesting information. In my first interview, there was a test which I found very difficult. You had to order an intray fast. Also the test has an Excel component. I prepared for a whole week beforehand for the Excel part and got exercises to do from my friend. I scored well on the test and I think there should always be a test: if you don't have a lot of experience, doing well is a great boost and you can refer to the test elsewhere and it prompts you to do an Excel test on Indeed and you feel the process is fairer than just a chat. In future interviews, almost everyone said Excel skills are useful. In my second interview, I was asked, "How are you going to motivate yourself to do this job, because it is BORING?" My third interview was online. I don't have Internet at home, because its absence ensures that I read books, clean up, etc. I notified the panel but they had no solution for me. So I had to just go into a university building, "illegitimately.". (shrink)

This a draft of a critical thinking textbook I wrote as an adjunct. I thought I would make it available for others.

This paper explores Hannah Arendt’s concept of Worldlessness as a condition in which meaning, continuity, and public dialogue have eroded under the pressures of individualism, technological rationality, and the decline of shared traditions. Drawing on Arendt’s The Human Condition (1998) and Men in Dark Times (1968) argues that the recovery of the public sphere requires a renewed commitment to dialogue, plurality, and thinking in core Arendtian and humanist values. The public sphere, understood as the space of appearance where individuals disclose (...) themselves through speech and action, must remain open to uncomfortable dialogue rather than censored consensus. In this sense, the paper does not advance a conservative agenda of returning to rigid traditions but rather calls for the reconstitution of a shared world grounded in mutual respect, deliberation, and freedom of thought. Education is framed as a crucial site for cultivating this renewal: not as a means of producing obedience, but as the liberation of the mind through disciplined, reflective, and imaginative thinking. Rejecting both the passivity of contemplative detachment and the abstractions of ideological dogma, whether from the left or the right, the paper advocates for an engaged form of humanist inquiry that anchors individuals once again in a meaningful, common world. (shrink)

This story reproduces “The Perfect Plan” in the fiction title Wild Wise Weird, written by Professor Quan-Hoang Vuong with his permission. Prof. Vuong ’s other nonfiction title is Meandering Sobriety.

In this essay, I am going to explain how my moral intuitions are engaged with my beloved fictions: The Lifecyle of software objects (Ted Chiang, 2010); Wild Wise Weird: The Kingfisher stories collection (Vuong, 2024), The three-body problem (Liu Cixin, 2014). Indeed, stories move us and deepen our understanding of what it means to be human, and great story-tellers achieve what even the greatest philosophers aspire to: making us reflect on our shared humanity.

Sometimes philosophers have been misunderstood. It could be because the philosopher's communication was vague. It could also be because the philosopher didn't use Ockham's razor and multiplied terms unnecessarily forcing reviewers to impose the razor, with the result that what needs to be cut is not cut and what was essential is taken out of the equation. This article cites two cases, one of the Indian thinker M.M. Thomas and other of Peter Van Inwagen, who claimed that their thoughts were (...) misrepresented by some other well known thinker. (shrink)

The article presents strategic ideas for understanding elements of an appropriate human–AI collaboration framework that will enable philosophy researchers to participate more effectively in the global discourse on science and philosophy in the AI age. With its ability to process large amounts of data and recognize complex patterns, current AI systems can extend human epistemological and ontological reach, concurrent with the situated cognition viewpoint. However, AI still lacks the capacity for meta-reflection, embodied meaning-making, and open-endedness hallmarks of human intelligence and (...) wisdom. Therefore, the human–AI co-creative discovery framework is a partnership of inter-agent creativity between the “agents of meaning” (humans) and the “agents of formalism” (AI), generating two-way value in the exploration and communication of knowledge. Indeed, AI can help spark curiosity, foster new intuitions, and revive the tradition of learning through dialogue, a classical philosophical method. Here, we discuss the rise of AI-assisted philosophical counseling and argue that the power of multimodal AI systems can be channeled into producing more precise and creative philosophical dialogues, enriching our humanity. (shrink)

This is a guide to writing philosophy papers aimed at introductory students prepared by the philosophy faculty at Rochester Community and Technical College. It includes sections on reading philosophy and writing philosophy, as well as an explanation of common grading criteria for essays in philosophy.

Zahra Thani & Derek Anderson ABSTRACT: Third-order exclusion is a form of epistemic oppression in which the epistemic lifeway of a dominant group disrupts the epistemic agency of members of marginalized groups. In this paper we apply situated perspectives in order to argue that philosophy as a discipline imposes third-order exclusions on members of marginalized ….

This paper establishes the monetary structure layer of the Protected Class Architecture — the dollar hegemony system whose perpetuation is the primary strategic objective that the personal management layer manages toward and the force execution layer defends. The paper traces the full prior chain from the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 through Bretton Woods, the petrodollar agreement of 1974, and the emerging CBDC transition, establishing that the monetary architecture has been defended through force against every significant challenge across 73 years. (...) The Mossadegh-Arbenz-Kennedy-Allende sequence is established as the documented prior chain that makes the Clark list legible as continuation rather than post-9/11 innovation. Kennedy's Executive Order 11110 — its issuance June 4, 1963 and its reversal within weeks of his assassination — is examined as the domestic iteration of the same structural pattern that produced the 1953 Iranian coup and the 1973 Chilean coup. The paper examines the BIS architecture, IMF conditionality as monetary weapon, the SWIFT disconnection mechanism, the Vatican Bank as the spiritual authority node of the financial architecture, and the specific fate of every head of state who challenged dollar denomination of oil. The CBDC transition is named as a civilizational rather than monetary event: programmable money enables transaction conditionality, jurisdictional confinement, and protocol-level blocking of economic participation without legal process — the completion of the Hoover file system's leverage function at the scale of every individual economic act. The paper concludes that the architecture is protecting the right to define what human value is, and that the CBDC layer is the most complete implementation of that protection function in the architecture's 175-year history. (shrink)

I claim that a supplementary reading of Hamlet highlights and explicates as of yet unacknowledged literary aspects in the Meditations and that these literary aspects are not only particularly suitable for making this text more tangible for students taking their first philosophy class but also clarify its analytic method of presentation, which Descartes describes in his Replies to the Second Set of Objections and of which he says that it is the ‘best and truest method of instruction’. The Meditations presents (...) its arguments in the form of a dramatic structure: the progression from radical doubt to the discovery of clear and distinct ideas and the subsequent restoration of knowledge tracks Gustav Freytag’s dramatic pyramid of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. (shrink)

Although much has been written about how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) may affect bioethics, there is limited research on its use in bioethics scholarship. The objectives of our study are (i) to assess the extent to which GenAI is being used in the production of bioethics scholarship and (ii) to analyze how such utilization is described when disclosed. 20 bioethics journals were selected based on Google Scholar’s 2024 H5-index rankings. All publications from these journals’ 2024 volumes were reviewed for disclosure (...) of GenAI use. In parallel, we examined each journal’s and publisher’s stated policies regarding GenAI-generated content, classifying them as permissive or prohibitive. The frequency and contextual framing of GenAI-utilization acknowledgements were analyzed. Of 1,808 publications, only 12 articles across five journals included a reference to GenAI use or non-use. Among the 12 mentions, nine disclosed GenAI utilization, while three stated non-utilization. The nine utilization acknowledgments appeared in different sections of the papers, with ChatGPT being the most frequently cited GenAI model and “tool” the most commonly used descriptor. Drawing on wider research trends, a disclosure rate of at least 10% was expected; however, the observed rate was under 1% and may reflect limited uptake, underreporting, or both. This finding raises important questions about transparency, methodological reporting standards, and the evolving norms of scholarly practice within the field of bioethics. We recommend clearer standards for when, how, and where GenAI use should be disclosed. (shrink)

Shoot From The Hip - Professional Intuition In Decision-Making -/- Why do eighty percent of decision-makers say that they use intuition often or very often in their decision-making? What is intuition? How does it function? How can we achieve becoming more intuitive? How can we apply it in understanding the world and making more ethical decisions?

Teaching philosophy through games is valuable. Games are engaging, thought-provoking, and popular. But many philosophy instructors encounter an obstacle: A dearth of appropriate games. I sidestepped this problem. My students became game designers, creating their own philosophy games. This Game Design assignment enables teaching ‘philosophy through games’ without the professor antecedently knowing any appropriate games. This essay describes how I scaffolded the assignment of creating philosophical games. I explain the assignment’s challenges and benefits, what I learnt from the experience, and (...) how the assignment structure can be adapted to other classrooms. (shrink)

Abstract: -/- We present a teaching activity, whose aim is to enhance students’ understanding of color perception by introducing them to intersubjective color variations among normal perceivers. The approach can be used in different disciplines, including biology, philosophy, psychology, physics, or statistics, for different purposes and with college students having various levels of sophistication and scientific training.

While case studies are widely used to teach ethical reflection in engineering, this activity has two shortcomings that may hamper the transferrability of learning in engineering ethics to the professional context. The first difficulty is that the cases themselves are static, not changing in response to student choices, as well as being somewhat abstracted from their own experience. The second difficulty is that the learning cohort frequently lacks a range of different disciplinary perspectives, which are needed in resolving complex ethical (...) issues in professional engineering. This paper introduces these two challenges, develops a pedagogical model inspired by philosophy of education and games, and presents a simulation game set at a fictional AI startup company based on this model. (shrink)

This book provides a realist and structural account of legal systems grounded in Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), phenomenology, and legal philosophy. It applies ontology to the domain of law, arguing that legal structures are not merely normative systems but ontological artifacts; real institutional continuants that emerge from patterns of obligation, recognition, and procedure. -/- The book begins with a reappraisal of traditional jurisprudential debates among natural law, legal positivist, and legal realist scholars, showing that each fails to fully account for (...) the ontological reality of legal objects. Drawing on the work of Dworkin, Reinach, Hart, and others, the book shows how the BFO framework clarifies the relations among roles, processes, facts, and institutions, thereby allowing a formal representation of how legal objects come into being through institutional acts. The central claim is that law is not reducible to will, command, or convention; it is a structured domain of social reality that arises wherever agents engage in acts of recognition that create enduring roles and obligations. Courts, legislatures, and other institutional entities are modeled as repair nodes that stabilize relational fields by resolving contradiction and sustaining normative coherence. In this way, law is shown to be both ontologically grounded and dynamically open, capable of collapse or repair depending on the integrity of its structures. The later chapters examine applications of this framework to AI and digital jurisprudence, property ontology, and institutional legitimacy, showing how the same relational principles that define moral obligation can model the persistence of law in democratic and authoritarian regimes alike. As a whole, the book argues for a new foundation for jurisprudence - one that sees law as a structural mode of being-with that is stabilized in legal objects and institutions, rather than a mere social contract or linguistic construct. (shrink)

Abstract -/- Dynamic Mask Theory (DMT), as developed by Morteza Niami, initially emerged as a pragmatic framework for managing "subjective seepage" and preserving agency through the mechanism of "responsible suspension." However, the maturation of any philosophical system demands three simultaneous movements: the horizontal expansion of its field applications, the systematic articulation of its intellectual lineage within the broader philosophical tradition, and—most critically—the vertical deepening of its claims from a mere theoretical apparatus to a foundational ontology. This article undertakes a comprehensive (...) reconstruction of DMT along all three axes. First, it demonstrates the theory's explanatory power across six concrete domains: social media, emotional relationships, university environments, artificial intelligence, labor markets, and politics. Second, it situates DMT in critical dialogue with Erving Goffman, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Slavoj Žižek, revealing both convergences and ruptures. Third, and most decisively, it confronts three foundational questions that arise from the inner logic of Niami's philosophy: What provides continuity between dynamic masks? What role does the body play in producing and constraining masks? And what does "truth" mean in a world of fluid, proliferating identities? The answers to these questions lead to the thesis that the mask is not a tool for managing seepage but the very condition of possibility for the subject. This ontological turn, encapsulated in the claim that "the subject does not exist without the mask," transforms DMT from a subsidiary theory into a central pillar of a post-essentialist philosophy of subjectivity. The article introduces the concept of "adaptive continuity" as the bridge between responsible suspension and the ontology of the subject-in-decay, arguing that the subject is not a substance but an event—a dynamic pattern of responding to erosion with ethical vigilance. -/- Keywords: Dynamic Mask Theory, responsible suspension, adaptive continuity, ontology of the subject-in-decay, subjective seepage, Goffman, Foucault, Butler, Žižek, post-essentialism, identity, agency. (shrink)

This article argues that the concept of "spontaneous order" within the Hayekian tradition and Austrian economics, while accounting for certain dimensions of social institutional dynamics, fails to explain the durability of institutions under conditions of chronic instability. By introducing the philosophy of "finite continuance," the article demonstrates that social institutions are not merely products of spontaneous order but rather outcomes of continuous processes of erosion, recalibration, and sufficiency. Money, language, markets, legal systems, and the internet are analyzed as structures whose (...) survival depends on their capacity for self-recreation in the face of persistent pressures. Additionally, the "seepage power" model reveals that power pervades all ostensibly spontaneous orders, rendering its elimination impossible. Drawing on and extending critical engagements with the spontaneous order tradition—including those of Gaus, Caldwell, Hodgson, Shearmur, and others—the framework integrates ontological analysis with institutional theory to provide a novel account of institutional persistence. The article proposes a dynamic model—the Erosion-Friction-Recalibration-Sufficiency-Continuance (EFRSC) cycle—which offers a systematic framework for analyzing how institutions persist through time under continuous pressure. -/- Keywords: Finite Continuance; Erosion Ontology; Social Institutions; Spontaneous Order; Political Economy of Seepage; Dynamic Agency; EFRSC Cycle. (shrink)

This article presents an interpretive phenomenological case study of the life of Steve Jobs, moving beyond the common narrative of genius to focus on the existential costs embedded in sustainable innovation. The central thesis can be articulated in a concise proposition: the task of finite existence is not the elimination of erosion, but the preservation of direction under conditions of irreversible transformation. This article neither seeks to prove a causal relationship between lived trauma and success nor attempts to reduce the (...) achievements of the subject to psychological traits. Instead, drawing on the framework of the ontology of erosion and the theory of finite continuity, it examines how lived experiences such as loss, uncertainty, failure, and the confrontation with mortality can shape a horizon of meaning within which the world is disclosed to the individual. The article demonstrates that the human subject is not a fixed substance but a finite, open meaning-system that must maintain its threshold of sufficiency through continuous reorganization within an erosive field. The primary theoretical contribution of this article is the introduction of the concept of existential selective cost, defined as the irreversible reduction of lived possibilities that occurs through the stabilization of a particular meaningful, practical, or creative trajectory. The core proposition is that every stabilization of meaning is simultaneously an exclusion of alternative possibilities, and every sustainable realization of a mode of being inevitably limits and erodes other forms of existence. -/- Keywords: ontology of erosion, finite continuity, threshold of sufficiency, constructive leakage, existential selective cost, selective disclosure, interpretive case study, phenomenology, finitude, Steve Jobs. (shrink)

Diese Abhandlung verfolgt das Ziel, die Theorie der „endlichen Kontinuität“ als einen philosophischen Rahmen für das Verstehen und Leben unter Bedingungen chronischer Instabilität und des Fehlens fundamentaler Gewissheiten zu formulieren. Die Ontologie dieser Theorie gründet auf der „kontinuierlichen Erosion“ als dem grundlegenden Zustand des Seins – einem Zustand, in dem die Instabilität selbst zur einzig möglichen Form von Stabilität wird. Das Subjekt wird in diesem Rahmen nicht als substantielles Wesen, sondern als „dynamischer Vektor der Intensität“ aufgefasst, der zwischen drei gleichzeitigen (...) Zuständen oszilliert: der „konstruktiven Leckage“ (Schaffung von Möglichkeit aus der Wandlung), der „verantwortungsvollen Suspension“ (aktives Urteilen unter Bedingungen der Ungewissheit) und der „stillen Resilienz“ (Ertragen der ontologischen Erosion ohne Zusammenbruch). Erkenntnistheoretisch wird Wahrheit nicht als festes Objekt, sondern als intersubjektiver, dynamischer Prozess verstanden, der sich im Raum der „hermeneutischen Reibung“ formt und stets der Überprüfung offensteht. Die Ethik der Kontinuität stellt das „Überleben der Handlungsfähigkeit“ über die „maximale Verwirklichung von Zielen“ und führt die „verantwortungsvolle Suspension“ als ihr zentrales Prinzip ein, in dem Tugend keine feststehende Eigenschaft, sondern eine „schwellenbezogene“ und situative Tugend ist. Im Bereich der Politik kritisiert diese Theorie die „palliativen Systeme“, die auf die Rückkehr zur Vergangenheit abzielen, und schlägt eine „Politik der Kontinuität“ vor, die auf der „intelligenten Modulation der Begegnung mit Instabilität“ und der „schrittweisen Rekonfiguration von Strukturen“ beruht. Die „Strukturpathologie“ als komplementärer Rahmen begreift das Leiden als unvermeidliche Folge endlicher Bedingungen und eröffnet mit ihren sechs Säulen – konstruktive Erosion, situative Handlungsfähigkeit, strukturelle Asynchronizität, Reproduktion von Inkompatibilität, kritische Transparenz und verantwortungsvolle Distanzierung – einen Weg zwischen der Verherrlichung und der Verneinung des Leidens. In der Dimension der Zeitlichkeit transformiert die Theorie durch die Betonung der „Wiederaneignung der Vergangenheit“ als Freiheit und der Anerkennung des „historischen Gedächtnisses ohne Erfahrung“ das Verhältnis des Subjekts zur Zeit. Die praktischen Implikationen dieser Theorie werden in den vier Bereichen Arbeit, Fürsorge, Politik und ökologische Nachhaltigkeit untersucht, und schließlich wird die endliche Kontinuität nicht als abstrakte Theorie, sondern als „Einladung zur Übung“ vorgestellt – eine Übung, in der der endliche Mensch seine Subjektivität nicht durch die Beseitigung der Krise, sondern durch das kontinuierliche Schaffen neuer Möglichkeiten des Fortfahrens bewahrt. -/- Keywords: Endliche Kontinuität, Verantwortungsvolle Suspension, Konstruktive Erosion, Politische Kontinuität, Schwellenkompetenz. (shrink)

Vorwort -/- Ich habe diese Philosophie nicht geschrieben, um eine weitere Theorie zu einer ohnehin schon überbordenden Anzahl von Theorien hinzuzufügen. Ich habe sie geschrieben, weil ich keine andere Wahl hatte. Die Fragen, auf die ich Antworten zu finden suchte, entsprangen dem alltäglichen Leben: dem Anblick von Leid, das ich nicht lindern konnte, Entscheidungen, von denen ich nicht wusste, ob sie richtig oder falsch waren, und Verantwortlichkeiten, die auf meinen Schultern lasteten, ohne dass ich wusste, ob ich ihnen gerecht geworden (...) war. -/- Im Angesicht dieser Fragen fand ich nie eine endgültige Antwort, doch ich konnte nicht aufhören, sie zu stellen. Dieses Schweben zwischen Frage und Antwort führte mich dazu, über das Wesen dieses Schwebens selbst nachzudenken. Was wäre, wenn „Ich weiß nicht“ nicht der Beginn eines Zusammenbruchs, sondern die Bedingung für den Beginn des Denkens wäre? Was wäre, wenn das Leben in den „Zwischenräumen“ und in der „Zwischenheit“ kein Mangel, sondern das grundlegende Prinzip menschlicher Existenz wäre? -/- Diese Schrift ist das Ergebnis dieser Überlegungen. Ich habe sie von der Position eines Menschen unter anderen Menschen aus geschrieben, nicht von der Position dessen, der behauptet, mehr zu wissen als andere. Die Erfahrung, von der ich spreche, ist eine gelebte Erfahrung, keine rein theoretische. Wenn dieser Text jemandem von Nutzen sein sollte, so ist er für ihn bestimmt; und wenn er Fehler enthält, so sind sie meine eigenen. (shrink)

Abstract -/- This paper proposes a systematic three-layer model for understanding how cognitive, interpretive, and ontological systems persist under conditions of structural decay. Challenging classical frameworks that dichotomize stability and chaos, we introduce the concept of finite continuity—the regulated continuation of a system through, rather than in the absence of, failure. The model operates across three interdependent layers: (1) Ontology, where the world is conceptualized as a field of continuous erosion, bounded by thresholds of sufficiency; (2) Epistemology, where knowledge is (...) redefined not as correspondence with reality, but as the management of cognitive failures (R_1, R_2, R_3) within a finite framework of hermeneutic friction (FFH); and (3) Hermeneutics, where meaning emerges from resistance, not from its removal. Drawing on Heidegger's Being and Time (1927/1962), Foucault's archaeology of knowledge (1969/1972), Quine's underdetermination thesis (1951, 1960), and recent work in systems theory (Luhmann, 1995), we argue that finite continuity constitutes the general form of systemic survival. The model's originality lies in its recursive structure: hermeneutic outcomes feed back into ontological conditions, reshaping the very thresholds that define systemic endurance. This is formalized as T_s(t+1) = \mathcal{F}(T_s(t), M(t), E(t+1)), capturing the dynamic co-evolution of interpretive history and ontological conditions. The framework offers substantive implications for philosophy of science (paradigm resilience), political theory (institutional survival), and normative ethics (ethics beyond principles), by reframing crisis as the normative condition of intelligibility rather than its exception. Finite continuity, we conclude, is neither tragic resignation nor triumphalist mastery; it is the dignified form of persistence in a world that never ceases to undo itself. -/- Keywords: Finite Continuity; Erosional Ontology; Hermeneutic Friction; Epistemological Failure; Systemic Persistence; Recursive Model; Threshold Dynamics; Pragmatic Fallibilism; Interpretive Resistance; Scientific Paradigm Resilience. (shrink)

Die vorliegende Abhandlung rekonstruiert die Grundzüge der Philosophie von Morteza Niami, die den Menschen nicht als souveränen Gestalter, sondern als endliches, in konstitutiver Ungewissheit handelndes Wesen begreift. Ausgehend von der Einsicht in die prinzipielle Begrenztheit menschlicher Erkenntnis, Zeit und Wirkmacht entfaltet sie eine Ethik der begrenzten, aber entschlossenen Verantwortung. Zentrale Kategorien sind der verantwortungsvolle Aufschub – verstanden als deliberative Pause vor vorschnellen Urteilen – sowie die produktive Ungewissheit, die als Ermöglichungsbedingung von Kreativität und Lernprozessen gedeutet wird. Die Philosophie thematisiert ferner (...) die unausweichliche Erosion aller personalen und sozialen Gebilde und stellt ihr das Konzept der endlichen Kontinuität gegenüber: ein Fortbestehen, das nicht auf statischer Beharrung, sondern auf pfleglicher Praxis und flexibler Anpassung beruht. Im Kontrast zu naivem Optimismus vertritt sie eine realistische Hoffnung, die Handlungsmotivation ohne metaphysische Sicherheitsgarantien begründet. Dialog, Kritik und epistemische Bescheidenheit werden als unverzichtbare Instrumente der Selbstkorrektur ausgewiesen. Die Schrift schließt mit der These, dass menschliche Würde nicht in Fehlerlosigkeit oder Allmacht gründet, sondern in der verantwortungsvollen Wahl angesichts der ontologischen Fragilität der Welt. Sinn ist demnach kein transzendentes Geschenk, sondern das immanente Produkt eines reflektierten, dialogischen und mutigen Handelns in der Endlichkeit. -/- Keywords: -/- Endlichkeit, Kontingenz, Erosion, endliche Kontinuität, begrenzte Verantwortung, verantwortungsvoller Aufschub, realistische Hoffnung, epistemische Bescheidenheit, Dialog, Kritik, Rekalibrierung, produktive Ungewissheit, verantwortliche Freiheit, prozessuale Identität, Handlungsmut, besonnene Lebensführung, Sinnstiftung, Menschenwürde. (shrink)

(This is for the Cambridge Handbook of Analytic Philosophy, edited by Marcus Rossberg) In this handbook entry, I survey the different ways in which formal mathematical methods have been applied to philosophical questions throughout the history of analytic philosophy. I consider: formalization in symbolic logic, with examples such as Aquinas’ third way and Anselm’s ontological argument; Bayesian confirmation theory, with examples such as the fine-tuning argument for God and the paradox of the ravens; foundations of mathematics, with examples such as (...) Hilbert’s programme and Gödel’s incompleteness theorems; social choice theory, with examples such as Condorcet’s paradox and Arrow’s theorem; ‘how possibly’ results, with examples such as Condorcet’s jury theorem and recent work on intersectionality theory; and the application of advanced mathematics in philosophy, with examples such as accuracy-first epistemology. (shrink)

Writing philosophy well is an essential skill in our discipline. Philosophical writing must aim for clarity, precision, and rigor, but in doing so, it can often wind up dry, long-winded and boring. It can take many drafts to produce a paper that is suitable for publication in a journal, and many aspiring (and accomplished!) academic philosophers find the process of writing arduous and frustrating. Still, some people make it look easy – if you’ve read anything by Alan Hájek, you’ve probably (...) noticed his breezy style that effortlessly communicates complex ideas in simple terms. His concise and witty prose makes even formal epistemology, a notoriously complicated, math-heavy subject, accessible and engaging to readers. However, while it might look effortless, Hájek’s spirited style is in fact born out of deep and thoughtful engagement with the craft of writing. His motto is: “Work hard for your readers, so that they don’t have to.” Hájek’s approach is decidedly anti-genius: he believes that having good ideas and communicating them well can be taught, and he has devoted considerable energy to helping his graduate students improve their writing. He has written multiple articles about philosophical creativity, as well as an unpublished lengthy manuscript on the mechanics of writing. I have benefited myself from his advice – at least I believe I have, readers may judge for themselves. My aim in this article is to share a few of his insights that I have found most helpful for myself and for my students. I won’t try to summarize all of Hájek’s advice, and I also don’t claim that all of this is totally new. Rather, I will offer a small collection of greatest hits. I will cover eight aspects of philosophical writing, and for each one, I will explain the basic idea, and then discuss some ways of implementing it for oneself and one’s students. (shrink)

FREE to download my New Book . https://www.academia.edu/31495642/_Meta-Philosophy_Meta-Cognition_and_Critique_of_Doing_Philosophizi ng am in the top 0.5% of Academic Publications on Academia.Edu and belong to a group of Academic giving our work for FREE as Commercial Publishers change too much for books. My new book is HERE for download: https://www.academia.edu/31495642/_Meta-Philosophy_Meta-Cognition_and_Critique_of_Doing_Philosophizi ng Abstract So far in my books and articles I have dealt with the following‭ (‬I hope I do not commit self-plagiarism by referring to my previous work and ideas expressed therein‭! ‬Lol‭)‬: -/- My own (...) discussions or‭ ‘‬philosophizing‭’ ‬follow right at the end after the numerous and very lengthy quotes from philosophers.‭ ‬The nature of the subject-matter of philosophy,‭ ‬the methodology,‭ ‬methods,‭ ‬techniques and tools of doing philosophy or philosophizing,‭ ‬the nature of the different steps or stages of the process/es of theorizing,‭ ‬the fact that doing philosophy are some of the stages of theorizing,‭ ‬the fact that philosophers lack meta-cognition and/or meta-reflection of these things.‭ ‬If they had awareness of what and how they are doing philosophy they might not become involved in quibbling over concepts and the differentiations of these concepts.‭ ‬It is as if philosophers are blind to what they are doing and have been doing for thousands of years,‭ ‬with the result that they continue repeating the same thing‭ – ‬arguing with words over the use of words and in the process creating more and more‭ –‬isms.‭ ‬They are seemingly unable to escape from such‭ –‬isms and their implications.‭ ‬Instead of getting or going anywhere they way they conceive‭ (‬of‭) ‬problems and express their questions they end up with conceiving of notions that cannot be solved or dissolved.‭ ‬They enclose themselves in an insular world or bubble of their own making,‭ ‬compared to sciences investigating humans and the different features and systems of the human body who find irrelevant the problems that philosophers have with things such as the brain,‭ ‬cognition,‭ ‬mind,‭ ‬consciousness,‭ ‬perception,‭ ‬thinking,‭ ‬etc.‭ ‬Sciences deal with these things on many levels and multi-dimensional while philosophers try to restrict them to a single level in one dimension by their words and the way they use those words.‭ ‬Consequently they lose sight of their objects and are unable to question them or express questions about them in a meaningful manner. -/- In my articles and books on the subject-matter I dealt with the traditional branches of philosophy and that with the differentiation of other disciplines and discourses the discourse of philosophy lost subject-matter.‭ ‬I mentioned newer areas of‭ ‘‬philosophy‭’‬,‭ ‬such as X-Phi,‭ ‬Philosophy’s interdisciplinary involvement in for example cognitive sciences,‭ ‬that there exists a philosophy of every discipline possible‭ (‬eg philosophy of science,‭ ‬art,‭ ‬music,‭ ‬sport,‭ ‬social sciences,‭ ‬etc‭)‬,‭ ‬that discourses such as Logic,‭ ‬Critical Thinking,‭ ‬Argumentation and argument maps,‭ ‬Reasoning,‭ ‬etc are relevant to and employed by many if not all disciplines and many discourses and are not uniquely subject-matter of the discourse of philosophy and does not have to form part of or be taught as subject-matter of philosophy. -/- I identified and discussed the methodology,‭ ‬methods,‭ ‬techniques and tools of doing philosophy and some underlying or implicit transcendentals such as pre-suppositions,‭ ‬suppositions and assumptions.‭ ‬I explore the nature of the different features,‭ ‬aspects,‭ ‬characteristics,‭ ‬steps and stages of the processes of theorizing.‭ ‬I showed that doing philosophy or philosophizing employ and/or consist of some of these features,‭ ‬steps and stages of theorizing. -/- As I involuntary have‭ (‬am‭)‬,‭ ‬seemingly endless‭ (‬a stream of consciousness like‭) ‬philosophically-‭ (‬question or problem and insight‭) ‬related‭ ‘‬intuitions‭’‬,‭ ‬it is difficult,‭ ‬painful and frustrating to me for that to be interrupted by social interaction,‭ ‬talking to people,‭ ‬phones,‭ ‬executing all sorts of‭ ‬mundane activities,‭ ‬etc.‭ ‬To understand or cope with this‭ ‘‬mental state‭’ ‬is one of the reasons why I need to explore meta-cognition or thinking about thinking,‭ ‬especially one’s own thinking and related‭ ‘‬activities‭’‬. (shrink)

This paper investigates the impact of Large Language Model (LLM)-assisted writing on reflective thinking, building on existing adaptations of Albert Borgmann’s device paradigm to Don Ihde’s postphenomenology. Academic writing can facilitate engagement with our beliefs and pre-judgments, making it highly conducive to reflective thinking. However, generative AI tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Word Copilot, may undermine such meaningful engagement as they ‘disburden’ users of the effort inherent in reflective writing. Still, we fall short when we leave unexamined the (...) kinds of uses each writing app inclines its users to pursue. Despite using the same LLM, a cross-comparison reveals that the user interface (UI) design of ChatGPT and Word Copilot affords distinct forms of interaction: ChatGPT’s UI design may, in principle, facilitate reflective engagement through conversational interactions, prompting users to formulate and engage with their beliefs on a given topic. In contrast, Word Copilot emphasizes automated document production, making a similar kind of engaging use unviable. As a conceptual basis for the argument, this paper extends Ihde’s history of writing ‘technics’ and brings it together with recent conceptual developments in postphenomenology by discussing the apps in terms of ‘quasi-materiality’ of application UIs and the affordances they offer as part of ‘multistabilities’. This paper concludes with a call for academic writers to critically assess how their tools mediate academic writing and thinking processes, arguing that choosing a writing tool for academic writing has ceased to be a matter of personal preference and has become one of academic ethos. (shrink)

Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in public services where decisions implicate rights, benefits, and burdens. This article proposes a practical lifecycle for responsible public‑sector AI spanning procurement, pilot, monitoring, and redress, with ethical checkpoints and governance artifacts at each phase. Using concrete examples and visuals, we distill lessons from applications such as predictive policing, welfare eligibility, and school placement. We define metrics that go beyond accuracy to include equity, participation, service quality, trust, and cost‑benefit, and we outline implementation guidance aligned (...) to Technology in Society criteria. We conclude with recommendations for dignified, accountable digital public services. (shrink)

摘要： 美国博士教育面临三重危机：获得学位的时间延长、突破性研究下降以及博士心理健康问题急剧增加。本文认为，植根于独立性、长度和原创性的“完美论文”范式已经成为一个系统性的道德陷阱，扼杀了现代知识生产必不可少 的合作红利。 本文提出了“学术分工和协作模式”，其道德基础是Eudaimonia三原则。核心设计包括：将博士分为突破性、精炼型和综合性类型；建立“突破性核心”和“精炼外壳”作为不同的产出；并通过公开招标、智能合约和 双轨防御将零星合作转变为制度化合作。 模拟显示，高质量产出增加了32%，时间缩短了1.3年，埋藏理论减少了67%。反事实分析表明，像门德尔和富兰克林这样的天才的丧失本可以避免。该系统的內建道德保障措施確保了風險仍然可言和可修復。 本文通过试点项目、立法支持和基础设施发展，为博士教育改革提供了理论上原创和运营上可行的蓝图。.

This study examined the influence of work system design on the self-disclosure of public elementary school teachers in Cateel 2 District, Division of Davao Oriental. Guided by social cognitive theory and job characteristics theory, it assessed work system design through task characteristics, knowledge characteristics, and work context, and assessed self-disclosure through openness to feedback and perceptiveness. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used with 201 teachers selected through simple random sampling from a population of 305 public elementary school teachers during the (...) 2025-2026 school year. Data were collected through adapted survey instruments validated by experts and pilot tested with 30 teachers. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. Results showed high levels of work system design (M = 3.85, SD = 0.63) and self-disclosure (M = 3.99, SD = 0.61). Work system design had a very high positive relationship with self-disclosure (r = 0.87, R2 = 0.76, p = 0.000). Regression results showed that task characteristics, knowledge characteristics, and work context significantly influenced self-disclosure, with knowledge characteristics as the strongest predictor. The findings emphasize the value of cognitively rich, supportive, and well-structured teaching roles in strengthening teachers’ professional openness and interpersonal responsiveness. (shrink)

This study examined the professional recognition and service effectiveness of public elementary school teachers in Caraga District, Division of Davao Oriental during the 2025-2026 school year. It used a quantitative descriptive-correlational design with 147 teacher-respondents selected through convenience sampling from 12 public elementary schools. Data were gathered through a validated researcher-made questionnaire that measured professional recognition in terms of obligation, truthfulness, admiration, sympathy, and communal accountability, as well as service effectiveness in terms of teamwork, decision-making, resources, and communication. The instrument (...) showed high reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.97 for both scales. Results showed that professional recognition was high overall (M = 3.65, SD = 0.54), with communal accountability receiving the highest domain mean (M = 4.00, SD = 0.55) and admiration the lowest (M = 2.99, SD = 0.65). Service effectiveness was moderate overall (M = 3.32, SD = 0.58), with resources obtaining the highest domain mean (M = 3.72, SD = 0.57) and decision-making the lowest (M = 2.91, SD = 0.65). Professional recognition had a strong, positive, and significant relationship with service effectiveness (r = 0.802, p = 0.000). Regression analysis further showed that obligation, truthfulness, admiration, sympathy, and communal accountability significantly predicted service effectiveness, with the model explaining 66% of the variance (R = 0.81, R2 = 0.66, F = 92.45, p = 0.000). The findings indicate that recognition-related professional values are central to teacher service delivery and may guide school leaders in strengthening support systems that promote ethical practice, collaboration, sound judgment, resource use, and communication in public elementary schools. (shrink)

The objective of this study is, first, to analyze the main trends in scientific publications on the meaning of life and, second, to identify the impact of this focus on educational research. Conceptually, it is understood that the subject has historically been addressed primarily by fields of knowledge such as philosophy, theology, and psychology. Therefore, this bibliometric research seeks to compare the overall volume of publications and how they are distributed in scientific journals based on two specific variables: the area (...) of knowledge of the scientific journals and the specialization of their main authors, in order to additionally identify the approach that the topic has had from/in the educational field. The database used was SCOPUS through its advanced search tool, using the Topic field, which includes title, abstract, and keywords. The terms included in the search were the main meanings of the concept: meaning life, life meaning, meaning in life, and meaning of life. The search was restricted to scientific articles, excluding reviews, letters, books, book chapters, notes, conferences, editorials, short surveys, and reviews. The date range selected was between 1980 and 2024, as the literature identifies that it was from 1980 onwards that interest in the subject began to resurface. Data processing was carried out using the R language and the Biblioshiny application from the Bibliometrix library/package. A total of 5,575 articles met the criteria, of which 513 combined the concept of meaning of life with that of education. Based on this data, a detailed analysis was carried out, which provides evidence of general scientific interest and, in particular, for the field of education, specifically for the philosophy of education, the field from which the interest in researching the topic stems, with the aim of identifying impact, trends, the most prolific authors, and journals that have addressed the concept of meaning of life in educational terms. (shrink)

Eco-Rational Education: An Educational Response to Environmental Crisis, by Simone Thornton, offers an insightful account of the perpetuation and maintenance of environmental degradation: the epistemic violence and subsequent social and ecological injustices emanating from the colonial structures and Eurocentric discourses that continue to dominate educational theory and practice. This lays the foundation for a persuasive argument for environmental education to have a central role in identity formation and the development of ecologically rational and deliberative citizens. For Thornton, this is essential (...) for a self-correcting citizenship and mitigating the deficiency of democratic correction of social institutions inherent in Western-style liberal democracies, due to reliance on the inherent worth and rationality of individuals, ‘a system that is ecological irrational and harmful to other ways of knowing, being and doing’ (p. 4). The book, therefore, challenges educators to reconstruct learning environments with the aim of creating a dialogic space for genuine deliberative engagement with Eurocentric discourses and Indigenous knowledge systems that challenge the human/nature dualism, assumptions about rationality, individualism and citizenship, and the concept of democracy itself. (shrink)

Roberto Franzini Tibaldeo’s (2023) book, Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp: Philosophy for Children’s Educational Revolution, is an historical-genealogical approach to the history, ideas and practice of Philosophy for Children, presented as Lipman and Sharp’s collaborative philosophical-educational vision resulting from an enduring interpersonal and philosophical partnership. Drawing on his extensive research, including unpublished documents preserved in the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC) archives at Montclair State University in New Jersey, Tibaldeo weaves together Lipman’s and Sharp’s philosophical (...) and educational theories with biography to understand the origins of their educational project and subsequent developments. Like Maughn Gregory and Megan Laverty’s (2018) edited volume, In Community of Inquiry with Ann Margaret Sharp, he also recognises the extent of Sharp’s involvement as more than a collaborator, but as an influential, central partner in shaping the IAPC curriculum, community of inquiry pedagogy, and thinking about philosophy, education, and children. As such, it offers a critical and comparative appraisal, which provides valuable insights for philosophers, teachers, and educators who are acquainted with Philosophy for Children as well as those new to its theory and practice. (shrink)

(Open Access) A “reading question” (RQ) is assigned at the end of each class—based on next lecture’s assigned reading—to encourage undergraduates to do class reading. RQs are due at the beginning of lecture, but students don’t know whether a given reading question will be graded until after it is due. RQs for only about half the lectures are arbitrarily selected for grading, to ease the grading load. To discourage generative AI use, I offer several measures ranging from moderate to drastic, (...) the latter including students answering RQs by hand in class (students then take a picture and immediately upload it to Canvas or whatever platform). I respond to two objections: that instructors should just leave reading to the students instead of micromanaging them, and that the RQ method is unfair to those who answered reading questions not selected for grading. (shrink)

This study examined the relationship between teacher characteristics and readiness towards organizational change among public elementary school teachers in Mati Central District, Division of the City of Mati. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used with 125 full-time elementary teachers selected from a population of 210 through simple random sampling. Data were collected through adapted standardized survey questionnaires measuring teacher-student interaction characteristics, characteristics related to the teaching profession, humanistic and justice characteristics, and readiness towards organizational change across cynicism, fear and uncertainty, (...) and acceptance of change. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis were used. Results showed that teacher characteristics were rated very high overall (M = 4.27, SD = 0.61), with humanistic and justice characteristics obtaining the highest domain mean (M = 4.37, SD = 0.65). Readiness towards organizational change was moderate overall (M = 3.23, SD = 0.85), although acceptance of change was very high (M = 4.33, SD = 0.78). Teacher characteristics had a strong positive correlation with readiness towards organizational change (r = .71, R2 = .50, p = .000). Regression analysis showed that the three teacher-characteristic domains significantly predicted readiness, with humanistic and justice characteristics showing the strongest standardized effect. The results highlight the relevance of relational, professional, and ethical teacher qualities in school change contexts. (shrink)

Since 2021, Graziano D'Urso's research has evolved into an editorial and pedagogical project aimed at redefining singing as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon rather than mere technical skill. Through seven volumes, the author integrates musicology, artistic vocology, pedagogy, and law to outline a unified vision of the voice that encompasses an ontology of singing, an ethics of mediation in teaching, and an experiential synthesis of emotions, mind, and body.

This study examined artificial intelligence utilization as a mediator between grammar learning awareness and writing competence among public elementary school learners. A quantitative descriptive-correlational mediation design was used with 250 Grade 6 learners from public elementary schools in Carmen District, Division of Davao del Norte during school year 2025-2026. Data were gathered using adapted and validated survey instruments that measured grammar learning awareness, writing competence, and artificial intelligence utilization. Means, standard deviations, Pearson product-moment correlations, regression analysis, and the Sobel z (...) test were used. Results showed moderate grammar learning awareness (M = 3.10, SD = 0.84), moderate writing competence (M = 3.14, SD = 0.85), and moderate artificial intelligence utilization (M = 3.17, SD = 0.87). Grammar learning awareness was significantly related to writing competence (r = 0.65, p = 0.000) and artificial intelligence utilization (r = 0.60, p = 0.000), while artificial intelligence utilization was significantly related to writing competence (r = 0.63, p = 0.000). Mediation analysis showed that artificial intelligence utilization partially mediated the relationship between grammar learning awareness and writing competence, with a significant indirect effect (a*b = 0.33800, SE = 0.06165, Sobel z = 5.482500, p < 0.000001). The findings indicate that grammar learning awareness contributes directly to writing competence and indirectly through learners’ use of artificial intelligence for academic support. (shrink)

New philosophical methodology beyond analytical and continental philosophies. I explore the nature of research and the different types of questions asked at different stages of research and different kinds of understanding..by reasoning and argumentation to arrive at insights and understanding. The real aim is to realise wisdom by philosophizing, lived philosophizing.

This study examined the relationship between media information literacy and research skills among high school student journalists in public secondary schools in Sto. Tomas District, Division of Davao del Norte. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used, with 134 student journalists selected through quota sampling from four public secondary schools. Data were gathered through adapted survey instruments that measured media information literacy in terms of access, evaluation, and use of media and information, and research skills in terms of problem identification and (...) conceptualization, information and evidence-seeking, research methodology, statistics/quantitative analysis and evidence evaluation, and communication and language skills. Mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. Results showed that media information literacy was high overall, with access to media and information as the highest domain. Research skills were also high overall, with information and evidence-seeking skills as the highest domain. Media information literacy had a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship with research skills. Regression analysis showed that all three media information literacy domains significantly influenced research skills, with use of media and information as the strongest predictor. The findings indicate that student journalists’ research competence is strengthened when media access, source evaluation, and applied information use are developed as integrated competencies in campus journalism instruction. (shrink)