Humor

Contemptible European Philosophy — exam questions

[Humor alert: When I last taught Contemporary European Philosophy, I offered this alternative final exam.] Contemptible European Philosophy Dr. ShicksAlternative (Reality) Exam 1. Identify the correct choice. Jean-Paul Sartre was a(n):a) Existentialist.b) Essentialist.c) Excellent way to put yourself to sleep.d) Guy who knew how to have his way with the ladies. 2. “Why does the […]

Contemptible European Philosophy — exam questions Read More »

James Joyce’s *Ulysses* edited for sensitive readers

Happy to announce the results of a new project to take Joyce’s famous Ulysses and render it safe for modern readers. The 732-page book was published in 1922 before standards of appropriate language were known and enforced. So for this centennial edition, a team of readers was commissioned to bring this historically and literarily important

James Joyce’s *Ulysses* edited for sensitive readers Read More »

Why life is 255 times better now than in 1800

Reprising this from when I read Deirdre McCloskey’s fascinating, intriguing, and wonderfully learned The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce (University of Chicago Press, 2006). Early on McCloskey cites three statistics about progress between 1800 and now: Wealth: “The amount of goods and services produced and consumed by the average person on the

Why life is 255 times better now than in 1800 Read More »

Professor Walsh gives an “A” to a Jain monk

Refreshing this story from Francis Kane, professor of philosophy and former colleague of Professor George Walsh at Salisbury State University, in a eulogy delivered November 21, 2001. The phone rang one Friday afternoon (I’ll never forget): “Fran, I’m going to be fired!” “George, you’re not going to be fired.” “Yes, I am! Something horrible has

Professor Walsh gives an “A” to a Jain monk Read More »

Mortality headlines [humor alert]

How media report statistics according to their philosophy: Enlightenment headline: SCIENCE and CAPITALISM a great success. Jaded-feminist headline: The PATRIARCHY encouraging women to be BABY-MAKING MACHINES. Socialist-Marxist headline: Europeans gain by EXPLOITING poor women in the THIRD WORLD. Postmodern headline: NO news here — “HEALTH” and “PROGRESS” mere SUBJECTIVE narratives.

Mortality headlines [humor alert] Read More »