Tag Archives: SOPHIA

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048: Ep44 – On Philosophy, Leadership, & SOPHIA

Philosophy Bakes Bread radio show and podcast

Cover of Democracy and Leadership, which features a painting of a crowd at a political event. In this forty-fourth episode of the Philosophy Bakes Bread radio show and podcast, Dr. Anthony Cashio decides that “turn-about is fair play.” He had been the guest in the very first episode of the show, and in this episode, he turns the tables and grills co-host Dr. Eric Thomas Weber as the guest for the day. The show focuses on Weber’s 2013 book, Democracy and Leadership, and then relates Weber’s theory of democratic leadership to his work as Executive Director of the Society of Philosophers in America, a.k.a. SOPHIA.

Dr. Eric Thomas Weber.

Dr. Weber is the author of four books, including most recently Democracy and Leadership(2013) and Uniting Mississippi (2015). In 2015 he was awarded the Mississippi Humanities Council’s Humanities Scholar Award in their Public Humanities Awards program. At the University of Mississippi, he was associate professor of public policy leadership from 2007 to 2016. In 2016, he moved to the University of Kentucky, where he is visiting associate professor in the philosophy department. In 2017, SOPHIA was awarded the major prize from the APA and the Philosophy Documentation Center for excellence and innovation in philosophy programs.

Listen for our “You Tell Me!” questions and for some jokes in one of our concluding segments, called “Philosophunnies.” Reach out to us on Facebook @PhilosophyBakesBread and on Twitter @PhilosophyBB; email us at philosophybakesbread@gmail.com; or call and record a voicemail that we play on the show, at 859.257.1849. Philosophy Bakes Bread is a production of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA). Check us out online at PhilosophyBakesBread.com and check out SOPHIA at PhilosophersInAmerica.com.


(1hr 8 mins)

Click here for a list of all the episodes of Philosophy Bakes Bread.

 

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Notes

  1. Weber, Eric Thomas, Democracy and Leadership (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013).
  2. The Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA), and how to join.
  3. The American Philosophical Association and the Philosophy Documentation Center prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs.

 

You Tell Me!

For our future “You Tell Me!” segments, Dr. Weber posed a question in this episode:

“Do you have spaces and communities in which you can hold deep, philosophical conversations? If you don’t, do you want in?”

Let us know what you think! Via Twitter, Facebook, Email, or by commenting here below.

 

 

Transcript

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Call for Papers – UPDATED

CivilAmerican.com

UPDATE: The Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA) recently launched Civil American, our newest venue for public philosophical engagement, as a peer-reviewed digital journal on our Web site. We are now announcing also a benefit to the authors of our first 20 articles, beginning in September of 2017: for each of the next 20 articles published in the journal, author(s) of accepted pieces will be paid an honorarium of $100 per essay (co-authors will split it).

Logo for Civil American.

Adobe logo, to serve as a link to the Adobe PDF version of the transcript.

Adobe PDF version of this call for papers.

SOPHIA Trustees Dr. John Shook and Dr. Eric Thomas Weber first envisioned Civil American as a journal targeting general-audiences, a philosophical equivalent to Scientific American. The United States have a rich intellectual tradition, yet much public discourse tends to be sensationalist, rather than civil and philosophical.

Civil American is a place for scholars in philosophy or other fields, students, and SOPHIA members to submit short essays, between 700 and 3,000 words, on topics of importance for living and policy-making, as individuals and communities.

In addition to single essays, we welcome proposals for panels of submissions from groups interested in writing on topics in common. Each piece will be released individually and will then be archived in a yearly volume.

We welcome submissions under 3,000 words (though longer pieces will be considered) and sent by email to: shanecourtland@gmail.com as an MS Word file.

Logo for Civil American.Chief Editor
Shane Courtland (West Virginia University)

Editorial Board

Elizabeth Anderson (University Michigan)
Peter Boghossian (Portland State University)
Thom Brooks (Durham University)
Daniel Brunson (Morgan State University)
Shane Courtland (West Virginia University)
Tommy Curry (Texas A&M University)
Marilyn Fischer (University of Dayton)
William Irwin (King’s College)
Jackie Kegley (California State University Bakersfield)
John Lachs (Vanderbilt University)
Jana Mohr Lone (University Washington)
Christopher P. Long (Michigan State University)
George R. Lucas (University of Notre Dame)
Michael Lynch (University of Connecticut)
Bertha Alvarez Manninen (Arizona State University)
John McDermott (Texas A&M University)
Scott Pratt (University of Oregon)
Gad Saad (Concordia University)
Michael Shermer (Chapman University)
John Shook (Bowie State University)
Peter Singer (Princeton University)
Eric Thomas Weber (University of Kentucky)

For more information and a journal archive, visit CivilAmerican.com.

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SOPHIA 2017 Chapter Seed Grants

Call for Applications!

We are calling for applications for seed grants for up to $600, to support efforts to start SOPHIA Chapters at the local or online levels. The deadline for applications is October 15th, 2017.

Photo of man planting seeds.

Application document with instructions: in MS Word format or in Adobe PDF format

Application-only files: in MS Word format or in Adobe PDF format

Applications should be emailed to us at PhilosophersInAmerica@gmail.com, preferably in Adobe PDF format, by October 15th, 2017. We are happy to answer questions in advance, sent to the same email address.

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Introducing Civil American

A digital, peer-reviewed journal run by The Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA).

The logo for 'Civil American,' SOPHIA's online peer-reviewed publication.

The Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA) announces the opening of Civil American, our latest venue for public philosophical engagement, released as a peer-reviewed digital journal on our Web site. Each piece will be released individually and will then be archived in a yearly volume. Civil American is a place for scholars in philosophy or other fields, students, and SOPHIA members to submit short essays, between 700 and 3,000 words (shorter and longer pieces will be considered), on topics of importance for living and policy-making, as individuals and communities.

Given our 2015 strategic planning initiative, the mission of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA) is “to use the tools of philosophical inquiry to improve people’s lives and enrich the profession of philosophy through conversation and community building.” In pursuit of that mission, two of our four strategic goals are “to use technology effectively” and to “to engage with the profession on public philosophy and digital humanities.”

To these ends, we open up SOPHIA’s online space as a forum for publicly engaged philosophy, to talk about issues and problems that matter to people both in and beyond the academy. Our emphasis is on accessibility of style and importance of subject matter. Following trends of digital publishing, we will consider the pieces released here to be in a volume gathered by year.

Cover of an issue of Scientific American.SOPHIA Trustees Dr. John Shook and Dr. Eric Thomas Weber first envisioned Civil American as a journal targeting general-audiences, a philosophical equivalent to the great publication, Scientific American. The United States have an immensely rich intellectual tradition, yet much discourse in the public sphere tends to be sensationalist, rather than civil and philosophical.

We welcome proposals for panels of submissions from groups interested in writing on topics in common. Gathered pieces may also be invited to join together in further advancement of their projects for growth in The Public Philosophy Journal‘s developmental and open peer-review process. Shorter projects can begin here and, if desired, be lengthened and deepened through such collaborations.

Photo of Dr. Shane Courtland.More information about Civil American is forthcoming now that we have selected the new editor for the journal, Dr. Shane Courtland. If you have any questions or proposals for submission to Civil American, you can email the Editor here.

Archive

Volume 2: 2017

  • Humanizing Monsters
    October 31, 2017
    | By Casey Dorman | I was listening to NPR recently and an interviewer was talking to Thomas Hegghammer, a Norwegian professor of political science, who had just published an edited collection of essays/research studies called Jihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists. One of the interviewer’s questions was “Aren’t you afraid that ...
  • John Stuart Mill and Charlottesville
    October 20, 2017
    | By Dale E. Miller | I consider myself a Millian—that is, a follower of the Victorian philosopher of morals, social life, and politics (and much else besides) John Stuart Mill (1806–73). Usually I’m a fairly confident Millian; some might even say smug. Mill’s work has, like the work of all important philosophers, been subjected to ...
  • Clutter
    September 16, 2017
    | By John Lachs | When our ancestors lived in caves, every tool was a prized possession. Furs for comfort and drawings to decorate the cave were difficult to come by. They were passed down from generation to generation. Later, when human productivity made the goods of the world readily available, our grandparents became collectors. Growing control ...
  • State-Sponsored Hacktivism and “Soft War”
    May 25, 2017
    | By George R. Lucas | A Moral and Legal Challenge in the Cyber Domain | Skeptics (e.g., Thomas Rid, 2013) have cast doubt on the notion of authentic cyber warfare.  Cyber conflict consists, the skeptics argue, solely of activities which fall well short of full scale warfare:  e.g., crime, vandalism, “hacktivism” (political activism by individuals and ...
  • The Illusion of Purely Rational Discussion: A Reply to Courtland’s Reply
    January 3, 2017
    | By Sergia Hay | I’d like to thank Shane Courtland for his reply to my response to his original posting, “Faith and Betrayal of the Philosophical Method.” I’m eager to continue this conversation about an important and timely subject: free speech in the classroom, and perhaps more broadly within public discourse. As such, it is also ...

Volume 1: 2016

  • Faith Without Dead Dogma: A Reply to Hay
    December 21, 2016
    | By Shane Courtland | After reading a thoughtful response from Dr. Hay regarding my previous blog post, I thought it would be helpful to discuss my philosophical pedagogy. Even if you have never taken a philosophy class before, the core elements of my teaching method are still applicable outside of the classroom. Moreover, describing how ...
  • What Philosophy Is For: A Reply to Courtland
    December 13, 2016
    | By Sergia Hay | I wholeheartedly agree with Shane Courtland when he writes in Civil American that being a philosopher means “giving pride of place to open discussion, encouraging intellectual diversity, and allowing a difference of opinion regarding even dangerous ideas.” I also believe it means, among other things, laying bare assumptions, defining terms, distinguishing between seemingly ...
  • Faith and Betrayal of the Philosophical Method
    December 4, 2016
    | By Shane Courtland | Please note: The following essay is autobiographical. I thought it might be helpful to share my experience. As with all personal events, those who have experienced this on the other side have very different feelings about the situation. The way I have always viewed philosophy, regarding its practice and how it ...
  • Breaking Out of the Bubble: Fixing American Politics
    November 11, 2016
    | By Shane Courtland | For approximately 5 years, I was the director of the Center for Ethics and Public Policy (CEPP) at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. As the director, I was charged with producing and executing various campus wide events.  My specialty, was the panel discussion.  This would bring multiple experts to the table ...
  • ‘What Ifs’ and No Regrets
    October 31, 2016
    | By Shane Courtland | One often hears the expression “You should live your life without regrets” in the same situations that one hears expressions such as “carpe diem” and “YOLO.” The basic idea is that you should live your life to the fullest. One day, if you are lucky to be living, you will be ...
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SOPHIA Trustee Emeritus Among 50 “Most Influential Living Philosophers”!

Professor John J. McDermott.

50 most influential philosophers.The Society of Philosophers in America is proud to celebrate our Trustee Emeritus, Dr. John J. McDermott, who has been named one of the 50 most influential living philosophers.

In recognizing Professor McDermott, the list’s authors wrote the following:

[Book Image]John McDermott received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham University, in New York City, in 1959, and, though he is getting up in his years, is still teaching, holding the position of University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Texas A&M University. McDermott’s work is primarily focused on the philosophy ofculture, specifically American literature and philosophy, having written, compiled, or contributed to books on William James, Josiah Royce, and John Dewey, as well as being a former President of the William James Society. McDermott is most notable for, and has been most influential in exploring and advancing the ideas of James and Dewey in relation to American culture, as well as his examination of American culture through philosophy.

Congratulations, John! And thank you for all you’ve done for American philosophy and for SOPHIA!