Culture – Davood Gozli

I have selected the next book for our Saturday reading group, which we will begin in January: Deconstruction & Pragmatism. I’ve chosen it for several reasons. This book is an excellent choice for both new and existing members. It’s an exciting next step following our recent discussions on Understanding Poststructuralism, and stands out for being brief, accessible, and engaging. The book is a collection of contributions from Simon Critchley, Jacques Derrida, Ernesto Laclau, Richard Rorty,…

Culture Psychology in Everyday Life

The Desire for Unity of Character in Others

By Davood Gozli | 14/07/202314/07/2023 by Davood Gozli

Only in the past few years have I started to accept that each person is a blend of many things, rather than being a consistent, unified whole. It took me a couple of decades, as a student of psychology and as a person living among other people, to grasp this basic fact about human beings and to let go of a naive expectation to see total uniformity in personalities. Now, I can appreciate the “good”…

Culture interview Phenomenology

Soulful Interviews

By Davood Gozli | 08/06/2023 by Davood Gozli

What is a soulful interview? Why is it important? How does it impact research and recruitment? Every interview has the potential to be a singular event, yet most interviews gravitate toward patterns that are frequently repeated. The spectrum between complete uniqueness and total repetition represents the range in which most interviews take place. Interviews, whether for research or recruitment, can become mechanical procedures, overlooking the fact that they are human encounters that can be conducted…

book review Culture James Baldwin Religion

James Baldwin’s “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

By Davood Gozli | 06/04/2023 by Davood Gozli

The feeling of existential unease, of not being at home in the world, is present in James Baldwin’s novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, to a painfully concentrated degree. The novel takes that feeling of unease as its starting point and goes on to explore broader themes related to family, history, and religion. The story is set in Harlem, New York City of the 1930s, centered on a day in the life of John…

Culture Education Philosophy

On Kantian Enlightenment

By Davood Gozli | 14/03/202314/03/2023 by Davood Gozli

In his essay “What is Enlightenment?” Immanuel Kant proposes that to achieve enlightenment, one needs the freedom to make public use of their reason. Any such summary statement would run the risk of misunderstanding Kant’s position if we overlook the significance of the public itself. Kant defines public as a universal space potentially shared by all human beings, and private as a local and situational space specific to practical concerns. The public is a place…

Category: Culture

Forthcoming Group Discussions: Deconstruction & Pragmatism

The Desire for Unity of Character in Others

Soulful Interviews

James Baldwin’s “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

On Kantian Enlightenment