Dear reader, the last month has been ... a lot. I lost two friends in October, and then there was the US election (I wrote about the election and Plato beforehand, and post-election thoughts may be coming soon). I admit I've had trouble finding the energy and time to do much with the blog lately (although I keep reminding myself that my tenth blog-aversary is coming next month!). Part of my blog-based reticence has been dealing with the aforementioned events. Some of it is that I've just been busy: there was Halloween, the election, and then in the last week, my Horror and Philosophy students had their film festival showcasing their short philosophical horror films (which were great!), and then the next day I went with a friend to Charlotte, NC to see Iron Maiden in concert for the first time since 2010 (see below for more on that experience!). One might say that I've been living a random life. Which of course calls for more random thoughts! And memes!
Examined Worlds
Philosophy and Science Fiction
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Democracy to Tyranny?: Lessons from Plato’s Critique of Democracy
This week I'm participating along with two of my colleagues in an event on my campus to promote voting and civic engagement. It's part of a series called Mocs Go Vote ("Mocs" are our mascot here at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga). Here's the poster for the event.
With the US Presidential election coming up next week, I figured I'd post a version of my talk here on the blog (my fellow Americans eligible to vote can look here for information about how to vote).
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
To Absent Friends: Jerry and Anand
To absent friends... |
I lost two friends last week. It has been difficult. If you might be so kind, dear reader, let me say a bit to honor these two absent friends, Jerry and Anand.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Birthday Reflections 2024: Eldritch Eons and Birthday Drinks on a Wednesday
Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/580823683164479108/ |
Friday, September 20, 2024
New Little Kings: You Like It Darker by Stephen King
Stephen King has been publishing short story collections since the 1970's, and they often include some of his best work (my favorite is "The Jaunt" from Skeleton Crew). I don't know if any of the stories in You Like It Darker are destined to rank among my favorites, but I really loved a few of these stories and I think they're all at least pretty good. I'm happy to report that Uncle Stevie has not lost his Shine when it comes to short stories.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Beautiful Bleakness: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
My trip to Worldcon in Glasgow and Eurocon in Rotterdam was great! I may write a little about that later, but I came home to immediately start teaching for the fall semester (literally the next day), and the last month has been a whirlwind.
I'm finally ready to get back to my regular blogging with one of my most regular types of posts: a book review!
I imagine Cormac McCarthy asked himself, "What if I wrote a book filled with beautiful sentences about horrific things, set in a bleak post-apocalyptic wasteland? And what if I only occasionally used apostrophes?" And that's pretty much what he succeeded in doing with The Road.
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Worldcon in Glasgow and Eurocon in Rotterdam!
I'm thrilled to be attending both Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland and Eurocon in Rotterdam, Netherlands in the next few weeks! I'm attending both as a fan (obviously!), but also in my capacity as the President of the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society. The Society has been working with the editors of the Sci-Phi Journal to plan panels at both Worldcon and Eurocon focusing on science fiction and philosophy. I will also be serving as a moderator for a panel on cosmic horror at Worldcon. Details on all panels below!