Tag: philosophy

Teaching in the ether

Michael Roth is the president of Wesleyan–a college that values teaching first. In the Wall Street Journal he writes about his experience teaching a massive online course on a subtle, sophisticated topic. His verdict?

Wesleyan's Russell House
Where Wesleyan philosophers usually teach

When I mention online learning to my colleagues at Wesleyan University, most respond initially with skepticism. But based on my experience, I know that real learning can take place on the Web.

I am currently teaching a massive online open course, or MOOC, on Coursera. Most MOOCs have great attrition, and mine is no exception: There were almost 30,000 students registered at the start, yet 4,000 remain active as we near the end of the semester. Unlike most MOOCs, which focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, mine is a classic humanities course. “The Modern and the Postmodern” starts off in the 18th century with Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant, and we work our way toward the present.

Read on: Michael S. Roth: My Global Philosophy Course

Karen Armstrong’s Case for God

A Case for God
A Case for God

Religion poisons everything… God is a delusion… the end of faith… these are phrases lately found among the burgeoning supply of books by “new atheists” who take arms against a sea of holy rollers and jihadis.  In an age of faith-based politics, resurgent creationism, and religious terrorism, aggressive atheists like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens have become bestselling authors.

A new book attempts to take a stand against both the religious fundamentalists and their militant atheist foes.  The Case for God is a landmark work of intellectual and theological history by the renowned scholar of religion Karen Armstrong.

The book is nothing less than a comprehensive history of human religion in just over three hundred pages.  From painted traces of Paleolithic hunter-shamans on the Lascaux Cave walls to hip postmodernist theology, Armstrong offers a lucid narrative of humanity’s relationship with the divine.  In her telling, the story of God and man unrolls like an ancient tapestry richly embroidered with scholarly insights and references from the world’s many religious traditions.

It is a compelling story, but it isn’t clear that many people—secularists or religionists—will find it persuasive.

Read the rest of my review of The Case for God at The Book Studio.