A Phenomenology of Mass-Produced Things and Our Relation with the More-than-human World

In this paper, Henry Kramer, explores the human-technology relationship and argues that “our perception of mass-produced things, a perception unique to and only possible within technological culture, dulls our senses and de-emphasizes the basic materiality of all things, thereby discouraging connection and engagement with the more-than-human world.” An iteration of this paper was presented at the 16th Annual Gonzaga Graduate Philosophy Conference and received the Hutchins Award in Philosophy for best paper in the conference.  It is featured here on our website by permission of the author. Read more here!

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Merlin Receives $1,000 Grant from the American Philosophical Association for their 2019 Philosophy in the Community Program(s)

Yahoo!  We just received word that we’ve been awarded a $1,000 grant for our Philosophy in the Community Program(s) from the American Philosophical Association and the Berry Fund for Public Philosophy.   About the American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association was “founded in 1900 to promote the exchange of ideas…

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Merlin Receives $3,000 Grant from PLATO for their 2019-2020 Philosophy in the Community Program(s)

Wow!  What an honor! We cannot express enough how much we love the Philosophy Learning & Teaching organization! For the 3rd year in a row, PLATO is awarding our organization a grant for our Philosophy in the Community program…and this year in the amount of $3,000. We are honored to have been selected by this amazing organization for three years in a row and are looking forward to providing the Helena & surrounding communities with a host of unique, fun & accessible opportunities to do “get their hands dirty with philosophy!”  Thank you so much, PLATO.

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“Public Philosophy & A Way of Life” at U of M Philosophy Forum

We are delighted & honored to have been asked to participate as a guest speaker on Dr. Albert Borgmann’s Philosophy Forum at the University of Montana where we will be exploring philosophy as a way of life and public philosophy.  The discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Deborah Slicer.

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March 2019 Philosophy Walk: The Environment, Ethics & Stewardship (Part 3)

Part 3 of our 3-Part Fall Philosophy Walk Series on the environment, ethics & stewardship took place on Sunday, March 24th at Ten Mile Creek Park.  Despite the weather being overcast (a change from the sunny day prior) and the trails a bit slushy from the recent melt, our adventure was beautiful and fun.  We also heard numerous bird calls from above — geese, gulls, northern flickers — and some fun dog calls (from our furry four-legged’s who joined us on the walk). Sponsored in part by grants from The Philosophy Learning & Teaching Organization & Humanities Montana, our group shared dialogue about philosophical and other perspectives related to current and future environmental & conservation challenges, and featured special guest speakers Thomas Baumeister, Mark Smillie, and Tyrrell Hibbard.

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2018-2019 Philosophy Symposium – “The Environment, Ethics & Stewardship” (Part 3)

Our 2018-2019 Philosophy Symposium Series “The Environment, Ethics & Stewardship” looked at numerous philosophical issues & perspectives related to ethics, the environment, and conservation stewardship, ranging from public vs. private land (including individual rights, collective rights, indigenous rights, other); landowner/steward-wildlife and habitat relationships, and; current & future environmental/conservation challenges. At this symposium, six panelists from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds focused on the third of these three areas of discussion and spoke for 7-10 minutes each. Then the forum was opened up to free-flowing audience-panelist Q & A. Access audio-video, photos & more here!

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Philosophy Workshop: Thinking Ecologically About Virtue & Value

In this 3.5-hour “philosophy as a way of life”-inspired workshop led by philosopher David Nowakowski, PhD we’ll look at what it might mean to live a life of virtue from the lens of ecology. Select readings and activities inspired by numerous ancient (and some contemporary) thinkers will be examined and applied with the aim of introducing participants to a variety of philosophical perspectives on virtuous living and practical tools for living well.   No background in philosophy is required to participate in this workshop. FREE. All ages welcome. $20 Suggested donation. Light snacks & hot tea provided. Space is limited. 

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Philosophy Workshop: The Life of Virtue — Lessons from Greek Philosophy

In this 3.5-hour “philosophy as a way of life”-inspired workshop led by philosopher David Nowakowski, PhD we’ll look at what it might mean to live a life of virtue and flourish. Select readings and activities inspired by numerous ancient (and some contemporary) thinkers will be examined and applied with the aim of introducing participants to a variety of philosophical perspectives on virtuous living and practical tools for living well.   No background in philosophy is required to participate in this workshop. FREE. All ages welcome. $20 Suggested donation. Light snacks & iced tea provided. Space is limited. 

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