An accessible and engaging introduction to philosophical inquiry, this book concentrates on topics of greatest interest to beginning students: the nature and tools of philosophy, free will, philosophy of religion, ethics, and social philosophy. The work throughout is clearly written and carefully argued.
Too many professors view themselves primarily not as teachers but researchers. How can the system be changed so that success in the classroom will be promoted and receive greater emphasis? Noted philosopher and educator Steven M. Cahn presents proposals to achieve that end, including changes in graduate education, the appointment process, the evaluation of teaching, the tenure system, and the choice of administrators. Filled with actual examples from academic life, the book is jargon-free and compellingly argued.
The Road Traveled and Other Essays presents the recent work of philosopher and educator Steven M. Cahn. This book offers his latest reflections on the nature of well-being, the rationality of religious belief, and the aims of higher education. Also included are a selection of his challenging philosophical puzzles. The work concludes with a detailed account of his career as a faculty member, foundation executive, and university administrator.
This volume completes a trilogy of Steven M. Cahn’s shorter writings that includes The Road Traveled and Other Essays (2019) and A Philosopher’s Journey (2020). Included here are his contributions to three philosophical debates: first, whether events are fated to occur; second, whether God is knowable; and third, whether morality can conflict with happiness. The book contains not only Cahn’s essays but also edited versions of the writings to which he is responding, thereby putting his remarks into context and rendering them accessible to all. These pieces make clear why Professor Cahn is regarded as one of the leading philosophy teachers of his generation.
This expanded edition of a celebrated book by philosopher and educator Steven M. Cahn offers sound advice on building a successful academic career. He explains how to plan, complete, and defend a dissertation; how to handle interviews for academic positions; how to improve your teaching; how to prepare and publish research; how to develop a professional network; and how to garner support for earning tenure. Whether you are considering enrolling in graduate school, seeking an academic position, or balancing the demands of a professorial career, you will find valuable guidance in Cahn’s insightful account of the ways of academia.
Some students find philosophy engrossing; others are merely bewildered. How can professors meet the challenge of teaching introductory-level philosophy so that their students, regardless of initial incentive or skill, come to understand and even enjoy the subject? For nearly a decade, renowned philosopher and teacher Steven M. Cahn offered doctoral students a fourteen-week, credit-bearing course to prepare them to teach undergraduates. At schools where these instructors were appointed, department chairs reported a dramatic increase in student interest. In this book, Cahn captures the essence of that course. Yet many of the topics he discusses concern all faculty, regardless of subject: a teacher’s responsibilities, the keys to effective instruction, the proper approach to term papers, examinations, and grades; and suggestions for how administrators should demonstrate that they take teaching seriously. Such matters are covered in the first seven chapters and in the final, fourteenth chapter. The intermediate six chapters focus on teaching introductory philosophy and, in particular, on critical thinking, free will, philosophy of religion, ethics, and political philosophy. Cahn’s writing is lucid and lively, using vivid examples and avoiding educational jargon. In sum, this book is not only a guide on how to inspire students but also an inspiration for teachers themselves.
In the views of most believers and critics, religion is essentially connected to the existence of a supernatural deity. If supernaturalism is not reasonable, the argument goes, religion cannot be reasonable—or if supernaturalism is reasonable, religion must be as well. Are faith and reason, religion and science, doomed to a constant struggle for the heart of humanity? Steven M. Cahn believes that they are not, that even if God exists, religion may not be justified and that even if religion is justified, belief in God may not be. In Religion Within Reason, Cahn argues that the common understanding of the relationship between religion and supernaturalism is flawed and that while supernaturalism is not reasonable, religious commitment may well be. Writing not as a theist but as one who finds much to admire in a religious life, he examines faith and reason, miracles, heaven and hell, religious diversity, and the problem of evil, using a variety of examples taken from religious thought, literature, and popular culture. Lucidly written in a nonpolemical spirit, Religion Within Reason offers an exciting new approach to the reconciliation of science and religion.
Philosophical Adventures is a clear, concise introduction to philosophy, covering an engaging set of topics: reasoning, free will, religious belief, ethics, well-being, politics, and education. Stylishly written and cogently argued, the book engages readers by using compelling examples to make complex ideas accessible. The book’s distinctive and engaging content provides a welcoming path to understanding the appeal of philosophical inquiry.
For over fifty years Steven M. Cahn has been a prolific contributor to discussions of philosophical and educational issues. In this volume he has chosen his favorite articles from the 1960s to the present, reflecting his long-standing interests in the concept of free will, the rationality of religious belief, the insights of John Dewey, the affirmative action debate, the aims of higher education, and the nature of living well. Also included are several philosophical puzzles. Professor Cahn is a noted teacher and lecturer, and these essays reflect his skills at explaining complex ideas with clarity and defending challenging positions with cogency. His work demonstrates how philosophical inquiry can be both engaging and enlightening.
Academic life regularly honors leading scholars but rarely recognizes those who have excelled in undergraduate teaching. This volume salutes Professor of Philosophy Robert H. Gurland, a paragon in the classroom, who recently retired after having taught over 25,000 students, primarily at New York University but also for a couple of years at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His impact on generations was immeasurable. Even in classes of over 200 he knew the names of all his students and something about each; over many decades he taught virtually the entire philosophy curriculum; and every semester he personally graded, with numerous detailed comments, the hundreds of papers submitted. In one student’s words, echoed by numerous others, “Over the course of my education I have had many professors but only one teacher.”
This book is the first full-length treatment of the philosophical problem of fatalism, the thesis that the laws of logic alone suffice to prove that no person ever acts freely. After a critical examination of the history of the problem, from Aristotle through Stoic and medieval thought, Cahn analyzes contemporary discussions of the issue, revealing how a belief in free will is logically connected to specific assumptions about the truth-value of propositions and the nature of time.
It is...a refreshing and promising event when an accomplished young philosopher and dedicated teacher like Prof. Cahn turns his mind to the present crisis in higher education and concentrates on some home truths. Prof. Cahn has his eye on the future, not the past. He is as full of divine discontent as contemporaries of his who have acquired a certain flash fame, and he has much more humility. But most important of all, he is concentrating, in this wise and unpretentious little book, on the staple realities of teaching and liberal learning rather than on labels, packaging, cant slogans and messianic expectations. Here is a book which it is a pleasure to commend as a restorative of common sense and, hopefully, of a sense of common educational purposes. Charles Frankel in the Foreword.
Steven M. Cahn has succeeded in articulating a defense of a particularly valuable conception of higher education in the liberal arts. He presents acute logical analyses in a clear, readable style. In particular, his critique of a too facile concern with 'relevance, ' his insistence on the importance of standards and, above all, his account of the importance of liberal arts education to democracy should be read by educators and policymakers alike. Even those who ultimately reject Cahn's position surely would profit from having to wrestle with his arguments. ROBERT L. SIMON Professor of Philosophy, Hamilton College Clinton, New York Education and the Democratic Ideal is a closely reasoned study of grading, assignments, examinations, and other tactical issues. Because of this it is a real departure from most discussion of university education, and the more to be valued. RONALD BERMAN Past Chairman National Endowment for the Humanitie
In Inside Academia, esteemed professor and philosopherSteven M. Cahn diagnoses issues plaguing America's universities and offers his prescriptions for improvement. He uses real cases to illustrate how college faculty and administrators often do not serve the best interests of schools or students.
This engaging collection of recent essays reveals how a professorial career involves not only pursuit of a scholarly discipline but also such unwelcome features as the tribulations of graduate school, the trials of teaching, and the tensions that develop from membership in a department. The author, who enjoyed a distinguished career as a professor of philosophy and senior university administrator, draws on his extensive experience to offer candid advice about handling the frustrations of academic life. Combining philosophical principles, practical concerns, and personal observations, this book serves as a reliable guide for both new and veteran academics as well as for anyone seeking to understand the inner workings of colleges and universities.
How should we evaluate the success of each person's life? Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano maintain that our well-being is dependent not on particular activities, accomplishments, or awards but on finding personal satisfaction while treating others with due concern. Cahn and Vitrano link their position to elements within both the Hellenistic and Hebraic traditions, particularly the views of Epicurus and lessons from the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Academic life regularly honors leading scholars but rarely recognizes those who have excelled in undergraduate teaching. This volume salutes Professor of Philosophy Robert H. Gurland, a paragon in the classroom, who recently retired after having taught over 25,000 students, primarily at New York University but also for a couple of years at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His impact on generations was immeasurable. Even in classes of over 200 he knew the names of all his students and something about each; over many decades he taught virtually the entire philosophy curriculum; and every semester he personally graded, with numerous detailed comments, the hundreds of papers submitted. In one student’s words, echoed by numerous others, “Over the course of my education I have had many professors but only one teacher.”
This volume completes a trilogy of Steven M. Cahn’s shorter writings that includes The Road Traveled and Other Essays (2019) and A Philosopher’s Journey (2020). Included here are his contributions to three philosophical debates: first, whether events are fated to occur; second, whether God is knowable; and third, whether morality can conflict with happiness. The book contains not only Cahn’s essays but also edited versions of the writings to which he is responding, thereby putting his remarks into context and rendering them accessible to all. These pieces make clear why Professor Cahn is regarded as one of the leading philosophy teachers of his generation.
In the views of most believers and critics, religion is essentially connected to the existence of a supernatural deity. If supernaturalism is not reasonable, the argument goes, religion cannot be reasonable—or if supernaturalism is reasonable, religion must be as well. Are faith and reason, religion and science, doomed to a constant struggle for the heart of humanity? Steven M. Cahn believes that they are not, that even if God exists, religion may not be justified and that even if religion is justified, belief in God may not be. In Religion Within Reason, Cahn argues that the common understanding of the relationship between religion and supernaturalism is flawed and that while supernaturalism is not reasonable, religious commitment may well be. Writing not as a theist but as one who finds much to admire in a religious life, he examines faith and reason, miracles, heaven and hell, religious diversity, and the problem of evil, using a variety of examples taken from religious thought, literature, and popular culture. Lucidly written in a nonpolemical spirit, Religion Within Reason offers an exciting new approach to the reconciliation of science and religion.
This expanded edition of a celebrated book by philosopher and educator Steven M. Cahn offers sound advice on building a successful academic career. He explains how to plan, complete, and defend a dissertation; how to handle interviews for academic positions; how to improve your teaching; how to prepare and publish research; how to develop a professional network; and how to garner support for earning tenure. Whether you are considering enrolling in graduate school, seeking an academic position, or balancing the demands of a professorial career, you will find valuable guidance in Cahn’s insightful account of the ways of academia.
Too many professors view themselves primarily not as teachers but researchers. How can the system be changed so that success in the classroom will be promoted and receive greater emphasis? Noted philosopher and educator Steven M. Cahn presents proposals to achieve that end, including changes in graduate education, the appointment process, the evaluation of teaching, the tenure system, and the choice of administrators. Filled with actual examples from academic life, the book is jargon-free and compellingly argued.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.