A Crash Course on ‘What Is Philosophy?’

At our Beat the Heat Philosophy Party in August, one of our presentations explored what philosophy is, what it isn’t, and why we should care.  This fun video from the Crash Course series provides some additional insight about the matter, including a brief history of philosophy (primarily from a western…

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Buddhism & Buddhist Ethics

As part of our August 2016 Beat the Heat Philosophy Party members of the Helena community enjoyed grub & grog, fun games, wonderful dialogue, live music, and dancing.  Also part of the mix…philosophy presentations — one of which explored Buddhism and Buddhist Ethics.

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Philosophy: What It Is, Isn’t & Why It Matters

In August of 2016, we hosted an indoor community shin-dig at The Placer called the Beat the Heat Philosophy Party.  We had a blast and enjoyed great grub & grog, fun games, wonderful dialogue, dancing to good tunes & more!  Also part of the party mix…philosophy presentations — one of…

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PayneWest Selects Merlin as Featured Helena Non-Profit

Woo-Hoo!  How exciting!  Merlin CCC was selected as the featured Helena area non-profit by PayneWest Insurance for their Summer 2016  newsletter.  In an interview conducted in June of this year, Founder & Executive Director, Marisa Diaz-Waian, discusses the nature of Merlin CCC’s operations & why philosophy is as important today…

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Leadership, Climate Change & Philosophy of Sport

The Olympics are about a lot of things. For this athlete, they are about trying to bring awareness and a sense of urgency to the threat & impact of climate change. Despite the fact that David Katoatau did not win a medal…he brings new meaning to the words “inspiration”, “champion”, …

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The Philosophical Knight – Søren Kierkegaard

Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is oft regarded as a satirical, romantic iconoclast. Unlike many philosophers of his era, his prose was lyrical and poetic and the use of pseudonyms, paradox and irony were among his trademarks. Kierkegaard’s works explored such things as personal identity, duty, freedom, objective & subjective truths,…

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A Healthy Side of Negative Emotions

Merlin | A Healthy Side of Negative Emotions | Photo Credit: dratata.com

There is no doubt that positive emotions are worth cultivating. But must we be upbeat all of the time? Is there a healthy side of negative emotions and some value in experiencing them? Many philosophers (Schopenhauer comes to mind here) argue that embracing the full range of our emotions (including…

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The Value of Studying Philosophy

In an older (but not outdated) article in the Atlantic,  Hope Reese interviews Rebecca Newberger Goldstein — philosopher and author of Plato at the Googleplex — who discusses the value of studying philosophy and why it is critical to our lives.  From helping us increase our humanity to becoming responsible…

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