Have a Question? Ask a Philosopher
posted by Daniel Solove
An interesting experiment, as described by Inside Higher Ed, involves a website called Ask Philosophers where people send in their questions and philosophers respond with answers. The website is designed for the general public:
“I just thought that the Web offered philosophers a chance to do public service of the kind that they haven’t always had,” says Alexander George, chair of philosophy at Amherst College and creator of the site. “Philosophy is ubiquitous in people’s lives, but there is an unfortunate disconnect between the interests of most people in philosophy and their access to information about philosophy and the great ideas and history of philosophy.”
George recruited 34 other philosophers — many from Amherst and colleges in New England, but others from colleges elsewhere in the United States or the world. The panelists were selected for having expertise in different areas — medical ethics, Chinese philosophy, African philosophy, the philosophy of love and sex. . . .
The way the site works is that George reviews questions that are submitted by reviewers and posts those that are appropriate. . . . Then panelists pick questions to answer — George hopes they will tackle 1-2 questions a week. Those who want to comment on the answers or converse among themselves can do so on a Google group that George has also created.
October 9, 2005 at 11:03 pm
Posted in: Blogging
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Responses (4)
realchaarmer - October 10, 2005 at 10:11 am
I was interested in finding out the policy on pictures being displayed of a deceased person. I had a family member whose husband died and I never see pictures of the husband displayed in the house. Is this concurrent with your religious beliefs? Thank you.
Bruce - October 10, 2005 at 1:20 pm
Dear Ask Philosophers,
Do I need a Ph.D. in philosophy to ask interesting questions about philosophy?
Prof. Larry M. Lynch - September 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
Teacher Education Philosophy is a topic on my teaching English as a foreign language blog.
A teacher’s philosophy of education is now used as a major marketing strategy by savvy teachers and has become an essential component of a teacher’s CV and portfolio. It has evolved to become part of the teacher’s personal profile, which outlines all of his essential skill sets and unique qualities, and highlights the teacher’s specialties.
“What is YOUR philosophy of education?”, is becoming a more commonly asked question in interviews. If you “don’t have one” now would be a good time to more thoroughly investigate aspects of one. Add your philosophy to all your teaching areas. Let it pervade what you do and how you approach your craft from every angle from preparation to class activities, problem-solving, discipline and assessment. Your philosophy helps set you apart from those who might just show up, do the minimum and collect their paychecks. In these days of increasing professionalism, increased requisites for teaching staff and higher expectations on the part of Educational Administrators, TEFL teachers, regardless of current status, simply cannot afford to be lax.
Prof. Larry M. Lynch
Santiago de Cali University
Cali, Colombia
http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/
lucas - November 24, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I’ve been thinking of being a philosopher, but i need help. Can you tell me some things about being a philosopher?
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