The Paideia Fellowship brings together humanities students and professors from Villanova University, the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Bryn Mawr College and the Templeton Honors College to participate in an ongoing conversation regarding the study of the humanities as a discipline. We frequently meet for meals followed […]
Author: Madeleine Harris
Prayers for Our Places
For the President of the United States and All in Civil Authority “O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant to the President of the […]
Dr. John Haldane Lectures at EU on Social Conflict and Dialogue
The Agora Institute had the honor of hosting Dr. John Haldane, one of the most highly recognized philosophers of our time, on April 4. Haldane is currently a visiting professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, while he continues to teach select courses at the University of […]
Irony, Laughter, Sincerity
In a recent article entitled “David Foster Wallace Was Right: Irony Is Ruining Our Culture,” written by Matt Ashby and Brendan Carroll, the argument is made that the irony and cynicism that so heavily color our culture are really only aimed at nothingness. I argue further that […]
Faith Focus: A Reflection on Lent
Before we can discuss the nature of Lent, we must first discuss why it is important that Lent is a season. To say that something is a season is to say that it is part of an ever-changing cycle—e.g., winter, spring, summer, fall and so forth. The […]
Eastern Announces Resignation and New Appointee to Provost Position
I had the honor of speaking with both Dr. Keith Iddings and Dr. Kent Sparks this past week in regards to Iddings’ recent resignation as provost and Sparks’ new appointment to that position. I would like to publicly thank them again for their time and generosity with me. […]
Communities As Webs of trust
James K.A. Smith, a professor at Calvin College and esteemed author, recently wrote an editorial piece for his online journal “Comment,” entitled, “Teach Us (How) to Trust: Suspicion and Cynicism Play Right Into the Hands of Authoritarian Demagogues. Let’s Consider Another Way Forward.” In the piece, he […]
Remembering Our Vision- Statement on Scholarship and Community
It has become a common practice of mine to spend time wandering around our campus, just paying attention to the trees, the paths and the water. Last week, on our snow day, I was doing just this, enjoying the freshness of the snow and the crispness of the […]
A Weekend in the Woods Reflecting on the Philosophy Reading Weekend
On Saturday, Jan. 14, Eastern University’s Philosophical Society took a trip to the Patrick Lodge at Juniata College to spend a couple of days enjoying the woods and discussing Edmund Burke’s “A Philosophical Inquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful.” I knew beforehand […]
Is There Really a Santa Claus? A panel discussion (Sponsored by yet another Eastern Task Force)*
[twocol_one] Santa Exists…Duh by Madeleine Harris To be honest, the fact that it is even necessary for me to write this article is an outrage and a disgrace. There has truly never been a doubt in my mind as to the existence of Santa Claus. He has brought […]