Festive Philosophy?

Well - 'tis the season to tolerate the tabloids feigning outrage at the alleged suppression of Christmas traditions in the name of political correctness (see HERE for an example, and HERE for an article from the Guardian on the topic.).

For a more recent account see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/2007/12/13/faxmas113.xml

We discussed this last year (see: http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-banned.html ), so will leave it for now: but I did wonder, amidst the songs, the tinsel and the crowds in the shops this week: Is it morally acceptable to lie to children about the existence of Father Christmas / Santa Claus ?

Leaving asides cheap jibes about believing in a fictional old man, who you can't see: why do we perpetuate this falseshood? An interesting discussion at http://urbansemiotic.com/2005/09/12/lying-to-children/ also (as well as mentioning the Tooth Fairy) takes it on to a more serious note with discussions of how much doctors should or should not reveal to seriously ill children. I suppose a number of questions emerge from thinking about this:

- Is it somehow less wrong to lie to children? Is our (apparent) epistemological superiority sufficent warrant for us to deceive them? Would it be wrong to lie to an adult for the same reason.

- When we tell children things about Santa that are not wholly factual - is it for their benefit (the magic of Christmas) - or our own - an attempt to recapture our own lost innocence?

How would/should we react if someone were to tell us that they were going to always be honest with their children - including about the Tooth Fairly and Father Christmas? (or the culturally-specific equivalents)

Of course, you can always read Stephen Law's The Philosophy of Christmas, if you really want to think more deeply in a festive vein...

ps - comments still welcome on the School Uniform debate at: http://r-p-e.blogspot.com/2007/11/sir-sir-its-causal-fallacy-school.html

Philosophy & Ethics Reading Group

Our next book is Dostoevsky's 'The Double'. A short description can be found on the wordpress site: readingphilosophy
Our next meeting will be Tuesday 5th February. Time and place to be confirmed.

Got A Complaint?

Philosopher Julian Baggini is currently writing a book on Complaint and asking as many people as possible to contribute by completing a short online survey. After taking the survey you may also want to read his piece for Comment is Free in which he sets out his stall for the book. Incidentally, Julian will be giving a talk on religion and ethics at Cheltenham Ladies College in February and has agreed to also talk at FCH (more details to follow).

Christmas meal final details

Well - chaos and confusion rule - but Shajaat has finally sent me the FINAL details:

I'm really sorry, but among all the chaos and confusion the situation has been resolved. Due to David Webster's talk at the Beehive at 19:30-20:30 on Monday 10th December, the meal at 18:00 would have been too rushed. Therefore, we can still meet at 18:00 for drinks in a pub in the Montpellier area (Suffolk Arms?). Then go to David's talk at the Beehive Pub on Religion being Good or Evil followed by a meal afterwards...21:00-21:30 (Possibly Spice Exchange?) .

Cafe Scientifique, 10th December '07: Religion - Good or Evil?

The people from Cafe Scientifique have persuaded me to do an evening talk on Monday 10th December at the Beehive pub, Tivoli, Cheltenham: see http://cafescientifique.org/cheltenham.htm or download details at http://cafescientifique.org/downloads/religion%20good%20or%20evil1.pdf

The topic is Religion: Good or Evil? So, nothing too heavy then...
Come along and heckle if you must - free wine is rumoured..
Dave

RPE Xmas meal

change of plan
Just to let you know that the RPE Christmas Meal will be on Sunday 9th December at Spice Exchange Indian Restaurant, Clarence Parade, Cheltenham @ 18:00.

please let me (or one of the level 3 student reps) know if you would like to come...
dave

Robots, AI, Ethics and Military Technology

Now, we rarely post articles (or links to) from the US Armed Forces Journal on this blog, but I was sent the link to an interesting one, entitled: Fast Forward to the Robot Dilemma. This talks about the ethical issues involved in placing AI (Artifical Intelligence) systems in control of military technology...

He (Major David Bigelow) concludes: It is unethical to create a fully autonomous military robot endowed with the ability to make independent decisions unless it is designed to screen its decisions through a sound moral framework.

Which sound moral framework, I wonder, would that be though? I thought RPE blog readers may find his piece of interest....
Dave

Podcast on Moral Realism / Naturalism, etc..

Those of you forced to listen to me witter on today about Intuitionism, Emotivism, and the like may wish to listen to the podcast at HERE which was originally for another class: but which explains some of the ideas I talked about in class today. Let me know if you have any problems....
Dave

Sir, Sir, it's a causal fallacy: School Uniform and politics...

So - we have seen a call from the Conservative Party for schools to enforce smart uniforms, have pupils stand when teachers enter the room, and call them Sir and Miss (or like some,perhaps, Madam).

The argument seems to run that good schools have uniforms / formal aspects: therefore the goodness of the schools must be a function of the dress of the pupils and the formal relation with teachers. (It may also be that the proponents of such a view have memories of their own formal schooling and the relative quality of the experience - but the principle is the same).

It looks here - to me - like a good old-fashioned causal fallacy. Without evidence that the uniforms and formal means of address have a causal connection to the behaviour / attainment of pupils - the connection could surely be either coincidental, or both could be the effects of some other, third cause...

Now - I was schooled in the 70s and 80s, and have, possibly as a result of liberal social conditioning, a deep aversion to school uniforms: but when I raise this in classes - my students all seem in favour of them - as do the parents of many of those at the same schools as my children: what's going on in the world?

Is school uniform really a good thing? Why? Can anyone tell me good reasons for it?

Philosophy and Popular Culture…

Since 2000 Open Court publishers (and Blackwells in the UK republishing them) have been putting out a series entitled Philosophy and Popular Culture. The first one I saw (as I unwrapped it one Christmas) was The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’Oh of Homer – which I found, in the quality of its essays, rather mixed.

Since then this phenomena has really taken off (Click here for UK list, or here for USA one) – including volumes on South Park, The Office, Family Guy, Baseball, Running, Woody Allen, Bob Dylan and many more: with more coming all the time.

Is this a good thing? You might think this a stupid question – surely applying to philosophy that things people are actually interested in is a positive move – and exposing the fans of these cultural phenomena is a good way to interest people in philosophy and demonstrate that it is not a pointless waste of everyone’s time…

Yes – and Stephen T. Asma argues this in a piece entitled: Looking up from the Gutter: Philosophy & Popular Culture. Why would anyone disagree?


You can also read more, from the Pop Matters website, where there is a piece entitled: Pop Goes Philosophy - talking both about the Philosophy and South Park book, the Asma article, and the phenomena in general. The authors, I thin, make a good point when they say (after commenting on Asma's piece:

So Asma is missing the big picture when he concludes that philosophy and popular culture are and will remain worlds apart. He is right, however, to be amused by the missionary (and presumptive, I would add) zeal of those who suppose that merely by sugar coating their lectures with references to pop culture, they make philosophy appealing or rewarding to the masses. The fact that most people know little about the history of the mind-body problem and other workhorse topics of professional philosophy does not mean, however, they yearn to know more.

Well - I have read a few (currently reading 'Running and Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind') - and although I have enjoyed some essays I have an odd sense of dis-ease with the series at times: but am not sure why - is it snobbery on my part - I don't think so... also, some essays in them are rather good - so why this sense of concern with the phenomena as a whole?

Will ponder and get back to you: responses welcome - do you think this is - overall a 'good thing'?

Dave

Staff-Student Christmas Meal

Following the runaway success of last year's event, I am told that students are planning to have another staff-student meal this Christmas.

The date under discussion is Monday 10th December, with The Indus (Indian Restuarant, on Bath Road) as a possible location. Please feel free to comment here - or contact Level 3 Student Rep Frances O'Hagan (I can forward e-mail if you don't have her address). If you want to come make sure Frances knows, as she wants to book the table(s) as soon as possible.. staff too...

Religious Dress back in the News: Sikh Girl Excluded from School

The BBC (and many others) report this case of a girl excluded for refusing to take off a bangle which she considers part of her Sikh faith.
Read the story at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7081573.stm

While the BBC has its usual ranting site at http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=3792&edition=1&ttl=20071107145207 I thought maybe some of the readers of this blog would like to comment here:
- should a school have a uniform policy that bans all religious expression?
- should it have uniform at all?
- should this pupil be allowed back - is she right to hold firm to her belief that she must wear this item?

I look forward to comments...
Dave

Philosophy Reading Group

Following a couple of hours dissecting Sartre's Nausea last night and discussing the implications of accepting the Existentialist position, we have agreed our next book (actually, it's a play) to be Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. More information can be found on the wordpress site:
http://readingphilosophy.wordpress.com/

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 4th December so I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Woody Guthrie: Hard Times and Hard Travellin’

Hi. This thursday (November 8th, 2007) there will be an event at FCH entitled Woody Guthrie: Hard Times and Hard Travellin'.


Will Kaufman from the University of Central Lancashire presents this partly-spoken and partly sung event.

'Woody Guthrie: Hard Times and Hard Travellin' is a live musical programme that sets the songs of Woody Guthrie in the context of the American 1930s -- the Dust Bowl, the Depression, the New Deal and the state of popular music itself. Will Kaufman brings such hard-hitting Guthrie songs as 'Vigilante Man', 'Pretty Boy Floyd' and 'I Ain't Got No Home' into conversation with other songs of the Depression Era -- from Joe Hill's 'The Preacher and the Slave' to 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'. These renditions, buttressed by detailed historical commentary, exemplify the blending of music and radical politics that marks Guthrie's most powerful and evocative work.'

See http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/class/humanities/staff/kaufman2.htm for testimonials.

It is 5.30pm in TC006a (FCH) - contact Professor Neil Wynn for more details.
Dave

Philosophy & Ethics Reading Group

We will be meeting this evening (Tuesday 6th November) at 6pm in Bar Ha Ha in Montpellier to discuss Sartre's Nausea. Even if you haven't finished the book yet (or even started to read it!) you would still be more than welcome as I'm sure it will elicit some stimulating Existential discussion.
Also, we will be choosing our next book so please come along with some ideas...