- July 27, 2024
- Aesthetics, Educación, Estética, Ethics, Ética, Filosofía Política, Psicología, Social Philosophy
Se debe resistir y combatir la era de la virtual mentira. Es necesaria una revolución de la verdad y de la transparencia. Enseñar ética y estética, tanto a los padres o representantes como a sus hijos e hijas desde la temprana edad, es enseñar el respeto a la dignidad del ser humano y de todos […]
A Personal Selection of Nelson Mandela Best Quotes
- July 18, 2024
- Ethics, Humanities, Intercultural, Leadership, Politics, Quotes, Social Change, Social Philosophy
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, and passed away on December 5, 2013. On the day of his death, almost eleven years ago, I modestly paid tribute to him with my personal selection of some of his best quotes in the local newspaper at the University of Texas, where I was teaching. However, […]
Ithaca or the interim homelands
- January 14, 2024
- Emigration, Essay, Identity, immigration, Psychology, Social Philosophy, Sociology
An intimate reflection on learning, nostalgia, and liquid identities in the migratory context “As you set out for Ithaca hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep […]
The fragmentation of knowledge
- December 29, 2023
- Essay, Humanities, Philosopy of Science, Psychology, science, Social Ethics, Social Philosophy
One of the pioneers of computing, Konrad Zuse, once said that “the danger of computers becoming human-like is not as great as the danger of humans becoming a computer.” (Hersfelder Zeitung, September 12, 2005). The fear of the machine person, of the person naked of feelings, pains, joys, and passions, has arisen several times in […]
The Left and Right Political Ideologies and Human Development
It is imperative to move beyond Left and Right political labels, as Giddens (1994) pointed out thirty years ago. To base the political division of the world’s future on ideological standpoints of left or right is senseless. From the left, right, or in the name of God, human history shows the horror of political atrocities against […]
Utopian and Strategic Planning for Development and Change
- February 9, 2023
- Business, Development, Economics, Education, Essay, Philosophy, Planning, Social Philosophy, Sociology
The purely expansionist ‘realistic’ strategic planning model typifies today’s society and causes an anti-climax in planning, turning it into a simple matter of forecasting, systematic organization, and the subordination of desirable human goals to foreseeable economic development. Does strategic planning make all the right moves? The concept of development has been used in economics, […]
To Have or To Be? A brief interview with Erich Fromm
- November 24, 2022
- Interviews, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Social Philosophy, Social Psychology, Sociology, Video
In this short interview (6’23” with Spanish subtitles) from the BBC TV The Book Programme in 1976, Erich Fromm is asked some questions with regards to his book To Have or To Be?, originally published in the World Perspectives book series of Harper & Row publishing firm, in 1976. The full interview in English (22’33”) with […]
My Teaching Philosophy: An Intimate Reflection
- April 16, 2022
- Educational Philosophy, Essay, Ethics, Higher Education, Psychology, Social Philosophy
Education should prepare the human being for ongoing change and for the eventual crisis that might arise as a result of the transition. I believe the aim of education should be to build in each student strong theoretical foundations, to help future teachers to be educated rather than trained, to be capable of understanding the […]
Lifelong Learners
- July 19, 2021
- Education, Educational Philosophy, Higher Education, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Social Philosophy, University
«In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.» Recently, in the context of an education conference, I referenced a passage from the beautiful and profound story of Alice in Wonderland. One of the characters of […]
A Reflection on Aesthetic Thinking
- May 11, 2021
- Aesthetics, Art, Education, Educational Philosophy, Essay, Ethics, Humanities, Psychology, Social Philosophy
We do not want for art to remain a forbidden garden for a fortunate few, because we know that the absence of art in our lives dims our creative and cognitive abilities, and silences the voice of our souls. Both, sciences and arts, are creative dimensions for human development, change and innovation. As professionals of […]