I invite you all to hit "comment" and reply with your own introductions, and (bearing in mind that this is an open site) your answers to two basic questions: Who are you? Why are you here? (in this course, on this campus, in this state, on this planet...)
I also invite you to tell us whether (and why) you are hopeful, despairing, fatalistic, indifferent, or whatever, with regard to the eventual prospects for life on Earth. My philosophical hero William James said that's our one "really vital question." He also said that "shipwreck" is among our clear possibilities, though his pragmatic philosophy was an attempt to suggest alternatives. Our course is an attempt to decide whether the hopeful alternatives are still realistically possible. If you don't have a response to this question yet, I'll push you to come up with one by the time this semester ends.
Our first class meeting on Tuesday will consist mainly of introductions and a heads-up that this is an unconventional course in ways I hope you'll find delightful, instructive, and rewarding. If you don't like to move, breathe, and converse in the open air on "nice" days, this may not be the course for you. But if you don't especially like the conventional lecture-style academic model in which I talk and you scribble silently in your seats, it may be just what you're looking for.
We'll not go over the syllabus or get bogged down in the nuts and bolts of course mechanics on Day #1, there's plenty of time for those details later. But do peruse the blogsite and syllabus (linked in the right margin) before next class and let me know what's unclear. Meanwhile, read your classmates' intros and post your own.
I'm Dr. Oliver, aka (despite my best efforts to discourage it) "Dr. Phil." I live in Nashville with my wife, Younger Daughter (a HS Senior), a dog (Angel) and a cat (Zeus). Older Daughter is a college Senior in another state.
My office is in James Union Building 300. Office hours are Mondays thru Thursdays 3-4 pm, & by appointment. On nice days office hours will probably be outside, possibly in front of the library (in the "Confucius" alcove, if it's available) or at another designated location. I answer emails during office hours, but not on weekends. Surest way to get a quick response:come in or call during office hours.
I've been at MTSU since the early '00s, teaching philosophy courses on diverse subjects including atheism, childhood, happiness, the environment, the future, and bioethics.
My Ph.D. is from Vanderbilt. I'm originally from Missouri, near St. Louis. I was indoctrinated as a Cardinals fan in early childhood, so I understand something about religious zeal. My undergrad degree is from Mizzou, in Columbia MO. (I wish my schools weren't in the SEC-I don't approve of major collegiate sports culture or football brain injuries, as I'm sure to tell you again.)
My philosophical expertise, such as it is, centers on the American philosophical tradition ofWilliam James and John Dewey. A former student once asked me to respond to aquestionnaire, if you're curious you can learn more about me there.
What you most need to know about me, though, is that I'm a peripatetic and will encourage you all to join me in that philosophical lifestyle as often as possible during discussion time. (If you're not sure what peripatetic means, scan the right sidebar or read the syllabus or ask me. Or look it up.)
I post my thoughts regularly to my blogs Up@dawn and Delight Springs, among others, and to Twitter (@osopher), and am continuing to experiment with podcasting as a classroom tool this semester. Follow me if you want to.
But of course, as Brian Cohen said, you don't have to follow anyone. (Extra credit if you get that reference... and real extra credit if you realize that my "extra credit" is usually rhetorical.) However, if a blog or podcast link turns up with the daily quiz (which will always be posted on this site no later than the night before class), you might find it helpful to read or listen.
Enough about me. Who are you? (Where are you from, where have you been, what do you like, who do you want to become,...?) Why are you here? (On Earth, in Tennessee, at MTSU, in philosophy class)? Hit "comments" below and post your introduction, then read your classmates'... and bear in mind that this is an open site. The world can read it. (The world's probably busy with other stuff, of course - Drumpf and Kardashians and cooking shows and other examples of what passes for "reality" these days.)
My name is Zoe and I don't really know who I am yet. i know I enjoy abstract art and exploring the natural world. I love learning about history, because what came before helps explain what happens now. I have a mouth like a sailors and a limited to nonexistant brain to mouth filter. I believe I am alive to learn, be it intellectual or a more physical/spiritual kind. However, who I am has yet to be determined.
ReplyDeleteThanks for leading off, Zoe, you get a base for that (I'll explain what that means on Tuesday). One more thing we know about who you are: you're someone who's not afraid to go first!
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ReplyDeleteWell in that case I suppose I will go second. Nice to meet you Zoe. Hey name is Caroline, and spent a good portion of my life growing up in New Hampshire. I have lived in Middle Tennessee for almost four years now. I'm in this philosophy class because philosophy is my major, and have enjoyed Dr. Oliver's other classes. For the first question I would say that I am hopeful, yet indifferent, while a bit fatalistic with regard to the eventual prospect for life here on Earth. Looking forward to meeting everyone.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone, My name is Michael. I've been living in the USA since 2010. I was living in Richmond VA for 1 and half year before I moved to live here in TN. My major is philosophy. My favorite things in my life are reading, asking, and meditating.Why am I here on "the earth"?, is the hardest question ever that I ask and was asked.It took me more than 3 years until I have learned to free and empty my mind from what I have taught as impeccable. Everything has to be tested and measured logically. Who am I? I am trying to do what hasn't been done yet :)
ReplyDeleteNice to meet all of you guys!
Hello everyone, I'm Don. I grew up in Delaware and remember my parents telling me about a peach orchard that no longer existed because it was under water and that was sixty years ago. I worked for the Water and Air Resources Department during a couple of summers and saw the behavior of certain businesses from discharging their waste into the Delaware River to emitting fumes from their smokestacks at times when they thought no one was observing. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth and leave it no worse than we found it and hopefully better. I moved to Tennessee in 1985 and have been here since with short times away to South Carolina and Louisiana. At one time I had planned to move my family to Baton Rouge when I took a job there, but fortunately, that didn't happen. However, while I was there, I learned about all of the toxic waste sites that had been concealed from the public when the area started to expand into the surrounding parishes and homes were erected near the sites. I'm hopeful that we still have a chance to make some needed changes, but I'm realistic to know that the amount of money that is being channeled into misrepresentation, distortion, and lying about climate change is shocking.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone, my Name is Lori. I have live my whole life in Middle Tennessee. I was born in Nashville, and now call Murfreesboro home. I live with my husband and our three dogs. I have always loved animals and the outdoors. I hope that whatever job I get after graduation, that I am able to work in the field some. I am a biology major, so the setup of a philosophy class is foreign to me. I am introverted by nature and talking in class has always been a struggle for me, maybe this class will help with that. I am looking forward to learning as much as I can about the environment, and what we can do to help.
ReplyDelete"What's miraculous about a spider's web?" said Mrs. Arable. "I don't see why you say a web is a miracle-it's just a web."
ReplyDelete"Ever try to spin one?" asked Dr. Dorian.”
― E.B. White, Charlotte's Web
Hey there, my name is Jilli. I care about the environment because I am grateful for what it has given to me. To me, gratitude is more than a thank you-- it's a way of living where individuals are truly mindful. When we are cognizant of the Earth— what it has to give us and the damage we’ve already done— it is much harder to be wasteful. Once a city full of smog and now known as one of Tennessee’s greenest cities, I think that the city of Chattanooga truly embodies what can happen when we take small steps to reduce our impact on the environment.
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ReplyDeleteHi everyone! My name is Madelin Kilbarger. I'm from the small town of Kingston, Tn. I attended University of Tennessee in Knoxville for the first two years of college then realized I needed a new land that I had yet to explore so I came to Middle Tennessee. I am majoring in psychology and just recently declared philosophy as my minor. I took a few philosophy classes at UTK out of pure curiosity and fell in love. I love talking about deep topics, and I love debating with students who are intelligent and interested in the same ideas. I am here at MTSU, and Earth, to learn and improve myself, and the world. I am hopeful for humanity. I think the world is more powerful and Nature will destroy us before we destroy Her. I think we need to save the world to save ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI am Mikaela Cherfan (you can call me Mika though!), and I am here because this is where the sequence of all the successes, failures, and other minor events in my life have led me. I've brought myself here to better my education because I believe that you can never run out of knowledge to learn or things to experience. I could go on about what I'm studying and where I live, but I think you'll learn much more about me through my philosophical responses than a short spiel about who I am because there's much more going on in my mind than there is in my life.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone. I'm Pidge Cash. I'm auditing this class because I'm deeply committed to and concerned about the web of life on our planet. I greatly enjoyed Dr. Oliver's Philosophy of Happiness summer class and expect to enjoy this experience too. I'm hopeful because I think Life will prevail even if we as a species don't. Our form of intelligence may not be at the "top of the food chain." Yet Life itself will continue perhaps with better forms of self reflection.
ReplyDeleteHello, everyone. I'm a little behind on introducing myself, but my name is Abigail Jones. I am a junior studying psychology with minors in sociology and philosophy, which is why I am here. I live an hour and a half away from campus and am planning on moving even farther away this December. In order to continue my education comfortably after moving, I had to cram the remaining on campus lecture courses into this fall semester, and this class fit perfectly into my schedule. As I stated in class, I don't really have a position on environmental ethics, and this may be just a class I'm enrolled in in order for me to finish my philosophy minor (since I have yet to see a philosophy course offered online through MTSU), but I am still here to learn in order to find and claim a position during my time here in this course.
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ReplyDeleteHey, I'm Kevin and I live in Nashville and unfortunately have to commute every day to class but luckily this is my last semester before graduation. I took this class because I needed a substitution and this was the most interesting class among the options I had and I am also interested in listening to different peoples perspectives on the different topics as well. I am optimistic about the future more in the long run and times in which I wont be around to see but I also believe that things are going to start to shift in the near future for the better especially with the younger generations of people who seem more cognizant of the issues we face growing up and becoming the change we want to see.
ReplyDeleteI am Brian Cash and I am auditing the course. I retired last February as a marketing manager after almost 40 in businesses ranging from household cleaners, cosmetics, food, sports trading cards and manufacturing. I got into business after earning my BA in English and realized I had to earn a living and business seemed the best way to make some money. I've lived in various U.S., European and Asian locations, love jogging, scuba and travel. I'm looking forward to readings and discussions in our class, hoping to learn what is real and fake in the climate change conversation. My goal is to figure out how I can contribute to a solution, believing that there is still time and and that every voice/action can make a difference
ReplyDeleteAloha good people. My name is Tanner Everett and I'm from Seymour, TN (a little town about 30 minutes outside of Knoxville). I'm 22 and I've finally finished my Associate's Degree at Pellissippi State Community College, and I have now relocated here to Murfreesboro to attend MTSU and get a bachelor's in Philosophy.
ReplyDeleteI discovered that philosophy was my passion about a year and a half ago after taking a very broad survey of religions course. It really opened my mind to all these incredibly fascinating ways of thinking and viewing the world; I really was shocked at just how narrow of a lens I have viewed experiences in this world. Soon Philosophy became the only class I was ever actually excited about and looked forward too. Now here I am in Environmental Ethics hoping to further my understanding about why we're here on this planet, to consider what our obligations are to people who don't even exist yet, and to hopefully gain even more new perspectives of the world.
Keep it real friends, whatever real means to you.
Hello all, my name is Jesse Brandon. I am a 25 year old aspiring artist due for a degree; I will be graduating after the completion of this semester! I am taking this class for more reasons than one; but, in an attempt not to ramble, I would say, mainly, because I care deeply for the environment and happen to have a strong magnetism towards philosophy, as well as, enjoy Dr. Oliver's perspective.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say I am optimistic and that I do my part for the environment, or that my ecologically conscious actions make an impact/difference, however slight, I may have to align myself with the pessimistic realists. If nothing severe is done to change the route we are going in as a species I fear that we may reach the inevitable dead end we all fear, or care little about, much sooner than we expect.
Greetings family! I Am Deonte Jackson born and raised in Chattanooga Tn. I am 23, married with a son that is about to turn one. Right now in life I seek to complete task and visions that have been thought in the brain. It was a goal upon graduation to finish school and I am coming back to put my obstacles under my feet.
ReplyDeleteI am optimistic about our environment because I understand how nature works. I believe that energy can not be created nor destroyed, therefore, life will never end. Whether we change location or the earth releases it cancerous cells, life cannot be destroyed. I believe the earth works like the body with an intelligence superior. It knows exactly what it needs and may manifest remidies in ways of hurricanes, tornadoes, and events that force us to change location AND way of life. The water washing on earth can also be symbolic as like a baptism. Earth being reborn while new lands discovered. Maybe I am reaching or maybe Im close to base. As a man thinketh, so shall it manifest!
Hello everyone! Sorry to post this so late. My name is Erika Dean. I'm 19 years old, and I've lived in Murfreesboro for a majority of my life, but I've traveled to many different places. I enjoy and appreciate all different artistic expression and I love the sciences. This is only my sophomore year so I feel like I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my life. I've been taking many different classes to help in figuring out what I want from my college experience. I see this class as an opportunity to learn much not only from Dr. Oliver but also from all of you.
ReplyDeleteAs for my outlook on the future of the earth, I'd like to believe that people can change and that the world can be healed, but the chances of such a thing happening is fairly low. I guess i have little faith in humanity to look past our own self-interest and commit to a greater cause. But, as many of us have already said, I'd love to be proven wrong! I look forward to hearing everyone's perspectives and learning as much as I can.
Hey everyone, my name is Eric Deal. I am 31 and have one year left in Environmental Sustainability and Technology. I live in Nashville with my fiance whom I am marrying in June next year. My interest in Science and the well being and hygiene of our planet has driven me to this degree. I am excited about this class because it gives me a chance to discuss environmental issues and not hold anything back.
ReplyDeleteHello! My name is Ali Green I am 22 and I am an Environmental Sustainability and Technology major with a concentration in biology. I am originally from Illinois but moved to Tennessee about 2 years ago to come TO MTSU. I love the environment and also science courses. I am excited to be in a philosophy class, which is much different from my usual sciences, to get a new perspective on a topic I love to learn about. My family back home owns a garbage and recycling company, so the environment and supporting local business have always been things I am passionate about. I wish to be hopeful for our planet, but the science major in me who loves facts and truth finds it hard to be opptimistic. However, being passionate about the environment definitely gives me the drive to hope for the best. If nothing else I want to help make a change to the environment for the better!
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