Nine years ago, WFAN (New York City) sports radio host Mike Francesa took this call: I am trying to think of something smart to say about how this video reflects public discourse today. But I think I’ll just let it […]
public discourse
A Benedictine College philosophy professor on Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech
Benedictine philosophy professor Jim Madden has taught at Benedictine College for more than two decades. Here is a taste of his “On the Pleasures of Outrage“: I don’t want to make this conversation about my family, but a bit of […]
What are people saying about the death of Tim Keller?
When someone like Tim Keller passes away we get a glimpse into the current state of public discourse and the way social media reveals our country’s deep differences. Here are some representative tweets and links. George W. Bush Christian music […]
When “a sixty-minute episode featuring an actor, a novelist, and a champion boxer might attract an audience of nearly 10Â million”
Over at Literary Review of Canada James Brooke-Smith reflects on the lost art of public conversation. Here is a taste of his piece, “Where’s Johnny?“ Executives at ABC tried to scotch the first episode of The Dick Cavett Show before it was […]
Why I almost came to see Josh Hawley as a sympathetic figure
Notice the word “almost” in the title. As most readers of this blog know, I am not a Josh Hawley fan. In fact, the guy usually makes my skin crawl. But the other day I actually found myself, at least […]
“We need more nuance and respect for complexity in our public debates”
Over at Inside Higher Ed, historian Steven Mintz writes about bringing critical thinking to public life. Here is a taste: As Malcolm Gladwell observed in his 2005 best seller, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, intuition and snap judgments can […]
Thinking in paragraphs
Jonathan Jacobs, a philosophy professor at John Jay College in New York City, wants his students to think in paragraphs. He is profiled at The Christian Science Monitor. A taste: …he pushes first-year students in his classes at John Jay […]