Author: Dave Thomer

Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.

Philosophers Wanted

If This Is Not News, what is it? (I will answer that, but it’ll take a while.) And why is its first cover story an article about philosophy? (I can answer that one now.)

Because, in a very real way, This Is Not News is all about philosophy. (That’s right, even the comics section.) Not the dusty, ivory tower image of philosophy you may have developed after previous encounters with the discipline, but philosophy as a way of investigating life, as a way of seeking truth in order to improve our world. From Plato to the present day, philosophers have sought to understand how the universe works so that they, and others, could get along better in that universe. This section of the site will explore the solutions they’ve proposed and try to see what relevance their answers have to life in the twenty-first century.

But again, what is this site? It is a webzine and online community inspired by the works of John Dewey (one of the leading American philosophers of the early twentieth century), particularly Dewey’s 1927 book The Public and Its Problems. Dewey firmly believed that democracy could only thrive if every member of society played an active part in investigating and solving the problems of the present day, that there had to be more to democracy than trudging to a voting booth at pre-approved intervals.
Continue reading “Philosophers Wanted”

Apples to Apples

There seems to be little disagreement in America that urban public schools are in trouble. Test scores are dropping, students are dropping out, and a general sense of hopelessness seems to be pervading the system. You won’t find a candidate for public office who isn’t decrying the state of the schools, and saying that by God, something has to be done about it. The question is, what needs to be done, and do we have the will to do it?

Let me get my biases out in the open on this one. I definitely lean to the left of the political spectrum, I live in the city of Philadelphia, and I am working on a degree and teaching at a public university. I also, somewhat paradoxically, spent sixteen years in private schools before I got here. That said, I am convinced that the argument I’m about to make is as well-supported by facts as it is unpopular in certain circles. We, as a society, are failing the public school system, and we will continue to fail it until we change the way education is paid for in this country. Continue reading “Apples to Apples”