Leigh M. Johnson

The Folly of Youth

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Comments Off

I’m often amazed at the size of my students’ egos and, to be honest, their cajones. An illustrative anecdote: I recently read several midterm papers by students who lambasted Plato, Aristotle, Kant and other great thinkers of the West for being, variously, “naive”, “idiotic”, “illogical”, and “close-minded.” While seemingly unburdened by the assignment’s requirement that…

Say it ain’t so, Junior

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 1 Comment

Well, I’ve been prompted by my good friend Kyle to comment on the local politics of my hometown, Memphis. What a mess. Unless you’ve had your head stuck in a hole, you no doubt recognize the young Senate-candidate from Tennessee to the right, Harold Ford, Jr. He is one of the up-and-coming stars of the…

Tangled Up In Clues

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 2 Comments

In a recent (excellently written) article byScott Warmuth, the issue of Dylan’s alleged penchant for plaigarism has again risen its ugly head. (You can read the article here.) The most recent accusation is that many of the lyrics from Dylan’s new album Modern Times were lifted from Henry Timrod, former Poet Laureate of the U.S….

Bringing sexy back to Memphis….

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Comments Off

In lieu of another blog on the recent controversy surrounding Harld Ford, Jr.’s campaign (which I just can’t bring myself to write about, it’s so awful)… I’ve decided instead to bring some good news from Memphis. I was recently informed by a good friend of mine “inside” the entertainment industry, that Justin Timberlake is re-opening…

Crackers

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 3 Comments

On my weekly drive to State College, I find that there is about a 100 mile stretch (through central PA) where I can’t find anything interesting on the radio except conservative talk-show programs. Now, I must admit, I actually love listening in to the likes of Rush Linbaugh and Sean Hannity, despite my total disgust…

The Work of Mourning

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 1 Comment

I was recently at a conference for one of the professional philosophical organizations in the U.S., the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP). As a part of the business meeting, SPEP regularly honors its members who have died in the last year. This year, there were four eulogies given at the business meeting, which…

Sorry, Mom, I Won’t Be Home For The Holidays…

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Comments Off

…because I’m scheduled to play in the Rose Bowl. I love this time of year. It’s “Bowl Season” for college football fans– great teams matched up in memorable games, heaps of pomp and tradition, endless battles over cryptic BCS rankings–and if you’re a fan, as I have been all my life, it just doesn’t get…

When The Critic Outsmarts The Critiqued

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 1 Comment

In Eduardo Mendieta’s recent review of Nicholas Adams’ philosophical text Habermas and Theology, Mendieta begins with the following: “Adjoining two nouns in the title of a book is like writing a blank check to “cash.” One better know who is receiving the check and one better make sure to have sufficient funds when it gets…

Deconstructing Dubya

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson Comments Off

Normally, I complain about the ubiquitous misuse of the term “deconstruction.” I find that, more often than not, when people say “deconstruction” they actually mean “destruction,” but they also want to show that they went to college. (See the “deconstructed” fashions hyped on Project Runway, for example, which are just ensembles of shredded or otherwise…

Apotemnophilia

June 9, 2024 Leigh M. Johnson 1 Comment

I love medical mysteries. About a year ago, I saw a “Dateline NBC” show on people who have a strange condition called Body Integrity Image Disorder (BIID) or apotemnophilia (from the Greek αποτέμνειν, “to cut off” and φιλία, “to love”). It is characterized by an overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or…

The Folly of Youth

Say it ain’t so, Junior

Tangled Up In Clues

Bringing sexy back to Memphis….

Crackers

The Work of Mourning

Sorry, Mom, I Won’t Be Home For The Holidays…

When The Critic Outsmarts The Critiqued

Deconstructing Dubya

Apotemnophilia

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