“Teaching Plato in Palestine shows how philosophical thinking can illuminate important topics-in particular, the problem of finding ways to engage people with opposed ideologies in fruitful debate. The lively narratives, based on the author's experiences of working with various groups interested in using philosophical tools to clarify their thought and action, will engage a wide range of readers.” PeopleThinkingWayImportantShowsProblemActionGroupsTeachingParticularReaderFindingsToolsPhilosophicalVariousWideDebateIdeologyNarrativeRangeTopicsPlatoPalestineLivelyThoughts And ActionsPhilosophical Thinking Author:Gary Gutting
“An idea is only an idea if it causes unease, debate and reflection. By that standard, Thomas Homer-Dixon's concept of an 'ingenuity gap' is truly a new idea. I can think of no other new concept that so fully condenses all of the challenges we face as a human civilization than the 'ingenuity gap'. Homer-Dixon has found a way to unite all of our concerns about economics, war, population growth, complexity, etc. under a single heading. He is one of an elite group of academics who can write for a mass audience.” IfsThinkingWayWritingHumansI CanIdeasWarFacesFoundCausesGrowthChallengesAudienceGroupsCivilizationMassStandardsReflectionConceptsConcernEconomicsPopulationDebateComplexityEtcGapsElitesNew IdeasHeadingsIngenuityPopulation GrowthHuman CivilizationChallenges We Face Author:Robert D. Kaplan
“A group called the Texas Tea Party Patriots is hosting a debate next month where Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain will go head to head, while people watching that will go head to pillow.” PeopleNextPartyGroupsMonthsDebateTeaTexasPatriotPillowTea PartyCainNewts Author:Jimmy Fallon
“A group of women who valued motherhood, but valued it on their own timetable, began to make a new claim, one that had never surfaced in the abortion debate before this, that abortion was a woman's right. Most significantly, they argued that this right to abortion was essential to their right to equality -- the right to be treated as individuals rather than as potential mothers.” MotherIndividualGroupsEssentialsClaimsMotherhoodDebateTreatedAbortionTimetables Book:Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood Source: Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood
“In the West everybody recognizes the need for a private sector, pretty much, even the one Socialist group understands this now, and so there tends to be debate about how much public sector intervention you think is needed for a variety of reasons, and there are very important differences on party lines that should be fought out.” ThinkingNeedsShouldImportantReasonDifferencesLinesPartyGroupsNeededWestDebateVarietySocialistInterventionPrivate SectorPublic Sector Author:Barney Frank
“We scientists can argue forever about important topics like slightly different flavors of vanilla ice cream. Consider the silliness of this debate: one group of scientists found a 90% decline of big fish and criticized fishery management. Some other scientists found an 80% decline and started a big argument with the 90% people. Who cares if it's 80% or 90%? The real question is whether it's OK to let fishermen take most of the big fish out of our oceans.” PeopleIfsImportantDifferentRealBigsCareFoundForeverGroupsOceanArgumentScientistManagementFishesArguingDebateIceDeclineCreamTopicsWho CaresFlavorIce CreamFishermanVanillaReal QuestionsSillinessBig FishFisheriesVanilla Ice Cream Author:Mark Powell
“Under theocracies and other authoritarian regimes, the rulers are the moral authorities. Under genuine democracy some basic values are entrenched in the legal system, which is expected to be under democratic vigilance, and others are left to the person or the group, which ideally debate moral problems in a rational, free and cooperative manner.” PersonsProblemValuesLeftMoralDemocracyGroupsAuthorityDemocraticExpectedDebateGenuineRationalRegimesRulersVigilanceCooperativesLegal SystemTheocracyMoral Authority Author:Mario Bunge
“If you are a minority or an interest group, the Democrats will hold the debate at your house. Whereas Republicans take a slightly different approach: they have a big tent - you're just not allowed in it.” IfsDifferentBigsHouseInterestGroupsRepublicanApproachDemocratDebateMinoritiesTentsInterest GroupsDifferent Approach Author:Jon Stewart