What do you do when everything you believe about the world crumbles to pieces around you? How do you rebuild a sense of hope, meaning, and truth? As a philosophy professor and coach, I've thought about these questions a lot, and I’ve learned some things. I gave a TEDx talk at TEDxPCC called, "What to do when you're worldview falls apart." Take a look.
I'll be giving a TEDx talk at TEDx PCC, in Portland, OR, on April 19th!
The theme of the event is Collective Genius.
Tickets will be available February 19th at tedxpcc.com.
Did Oprah get it right in The Secret? Is the Law of Attraction really the best way to understand the universe? Is it problematic?
In episode #57 of my podcast Think Hard, On Manifesting and Mirrors, Jeff Guenther LPC (creator of Therapy Den and the Portland Therapy Center) defends the Law of Attraction, which my co-host José and I lambasted in episode #37. Take a listen!
Should you have an open mind when talking to someone who has an opinion that you find morally reprehensible?
In Tolerating the Racist at Thanksgiving Dinner, episode #56 of my podcast Think Hard, my co-host José and I discuss how we should balance the desire to keep an open mind with the need to protect people from hate speech. This episode ties into episode #11: “Tolerating the Nazi Next Door.” Take a listen!
Are you the same person that you were when you were six years old?
In Carjacking Today, Freedom Tomorrow?, episode #55 of my podcast Think Hard, my co-host José and I discuss identity and how we change over time. Did Buddhism get it right with the idea of “no self,” or are we essentially the same person at every stage of life? Take a listen!
Have you ever been in a relationship that you’re not sure you should stay in? Sometimes it feels so good, and then the next day you have an argument and you think… “I gotta get out.” Sound familiar?
In Both Sides Now, episode #53 of my podcast Think Hard, my co-host José and I discuss ambivalence and how we handle cognitive dissonance that occurs when we try to see multiple sides of any issue. Take a listen!
Why do we wear casual clothing? If we dress down for comfort, what is the root cause of our discomfort?
In Flip Flip, episode #51 of my podcast Think Hard, my co-host José and I discuss casual clothing and the larger question of discomfort in our lives. Can sweatpants bring you comfort? Is it worth it, or do soft fabrics and cozy shoes mask a larger discomfort in our lives? Take a listen!
How do we make decisions about how to spend money? And, thinking more broadly, how do we use our limited resources to live “the good life”?
In episode #51: Buying Happiness of my podcast Think Hard, I ponder how to make decisions about how to spend money, which leads to the larger question of what constitutes the good life. What purchases will make us happy, and how do we know what to choose? My co-host José offers some budgeting wisdom. Take a listen!
Would you trade your therapist for a philosophical coach? More and more people are discovering the benefits of conversations with philosophers to help them figure out their lives. It’s called Philosophical Coaching or Philosophical Counseling, and there are lots of good reasons that philosophy is an excellent foundation for counseling.
What do you do when everything you believe about the world crumbles to pieces around you? How do you rebuild a sense of hope, meaning, and truth? As a philosophy professor and coach, I've thought about these questions a lot, and I’ve learned some things. I gave a TEDx talk at TEDxPCC called, "What to do when you're worldview falls apart." Take a look.
How do we, as a society, take broad political action on issues like climate change or global poverty when we see ourselves as fractured groups, each with its own concerns?
In episode #29: The "I" in Us of my podcast Think Hard, I suggest that identity politics—organizing and motivating political action through features of your identity such as race, gender, class, nationality, religion, etc.—is insufficient for the type of collective action needed to solve some important global problems. My co-host José believes that all political action must necessarily begin with the interests, needs, and perspectives of identity. What do you think?
What do philosophers have to offer the public?
In the latest episode of my podcast Think Hard #28: Our Patron Saint welcome special guest Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein, Director of the Institute for Philosophy in Public Life at the University of North Dakota and host of the public radio show and podcast Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life, to talk about public philosophy.
A philosophical perspective can help with almost any professional work, including veterinary medicine. Last week, I spoke with a group of professional veterinarians about how philosophical skills and thinking can help make their work more efficient, productive, purposeful, and fulfilling. Here are some of the tips and perspectives I gave them.
I'm teaming up with Curious Soul Philosophy this May to lead a workshop called Buddhist Wisdom for Everyday Living. If you are local to Portland, Oregon, join me to learn and discuss the foundational philosophical ideas of Buddhism and see how they may serve us in our everyday lives.
Suffering is perhaps one of the most informative and important parts of the human experience. Sitting with this pain—whether it be our own or someone else's—takes courage, strength, and compassion. It is extraordinarily difficult, but it allows us to get to the heart of what is really happening, both in society at large and in our personal inner lives.
For those who don’t believe in a benevolent, higher power, where do we look for hope and guidance when things are looking grim?
In the latest episode of Think Hard #23: Hope in a Godless World, we bring you the audio from a public lecture that I gave to Sunday Assembly Portland. Afterward, my co-host José gets a chance to ask questions and challenge some ideas. And as always, we end with recommendations in our What We're Thinking About segment.
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