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Slow Philosophy & The Slow Professor

Published by USC Bedrosian Center on

Inspired by the article, “In Praise of Slowness” by Henry Martyn Lloyd, in the wonderful (immensely innovative and readable) Los Angeles Review of Books, we decided to look at two books: The Slow Professor by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber and Slow Philosophy by Michelle Boulous Walker. Both books attempt to identify some stumbling blocks in the working life of academics as well as some solutions that might make the work more rewarding, possibly more beneficial to civil society.

Looking at academia as microcosm of society at large, we find many Americans can get something from this conversation on the difference between love of wisdom and the need to know (control). What might happen if we gave ourselves time (and permission) to understand and learn, rather than, or in addition to, acquire more and more skills? Is slowness the nature of wisdom?

Your mindset while reading affects your relationship with the author, with the text, with your own growth.

Featuring Aubrey Hicks, Lisa Schweitzer, and David Sloane

Follow us on Twitter: @BedrosianCenter @AubreyHi @drschweitzer @dcsloane53

To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of The Slow Professor and Slow Philosophy click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player here on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play

 
 

Links & further reading:

In Praise of Slowness by Henry Martyn Lloyd, Los Angeles Review of Books
Slow Food movement
Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
Chez Panisse, Alice Waters
Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty – our first podcast!
Luce Irigaray, Helen Cixous, Simone de Beauvoir
Hannah Arendt (2012)

Consider This with Stuart Campbell interview with Michelle Boulous Walker

Next Month …

 
Tears We Cannot Stop’ is a lament, originating from within the grieving heart of black America, aimed directly at white readers who are often too frightened, or indifferent, or ashamed, to look a man like Michael Eric Dyson in the eyes. I can only hope that others will read and be changed by this book. It ends with a desperate plea for white Americans to rise up in defense of, and in solidarity with, our African-American brothers and sisters. In response, I say simply: Amen.
-Patick Phillips in the New York Times Book Review
 
 
Read along with us! Let us know what you think of the book or the podcasts at Facebook or Twitter.

This podcast was produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz, recorded and mixed by Corey Hedden.

@AubreyHi @jonHLYP @coreyhedden

Bedrosian Center