Professor Kozlowski Lectures

Professor Kozlowski pivots from researching and discussing Native American philosophy to Hindu philosophy in this informal discussion. Here he'll discuss: 1. The differences and difficulties in researching Hinduism and its related disciplines and traditions; 2. The foundational texts underlying Hinduism (from the Vedas through Buddhism) and their rough development; 3. The basic philosophical tenets of these texts and how they have matured and changed over time; 4. Applications for his classroom; 5. Further research. There's a lot to discuss, and only so much time to discuss it! To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com. And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Professor Kozlowski wraps up his discussion of Native American philosophy with a lightning round of books he's skimmed, partially-read, or hopes to read in the future, including: Erdoes and Ortiz - American Indian Myths and Legends Spencer and Jennings - The Native Americans Miller and Taube - The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com. And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony was highly recommended by Cordova in her previously-discussed book on Native American philosophy, How it Is. Today, Professor Kozlowski discusses the book at some length: how it does and does not fit into his study, how it encapsulates much of what he has found in Native American scholarship, and how it connects to his own, personal, experiences and understanding of the world. To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com. And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

American Indian Thought (edited by Anne Waters) is perhaps the primary sourcebook for Native American Philosophy today, but it's a strange, discordant book without a clear guiding structure or organization beyond "philosophy-adjacent writings by Native Americans". Today Professor Kozlowski discusses some of the essays in the book, and contemplates its use in his upcoming class, in the broader effort to research and understand Native American perspectives, and in his responsibilities as person, professor, and citizen. To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com. And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Having decided to spend the summer researching (rather than trying to produce polished lectures), Professor Kozlowski begins to report his research in this first informal "notes" lecture on V. F. Cordova's How It Is. Cordova was the first Native American scholar to receive a Ph.D in philosophy, and this book seems as good an entry point as any into the complicated world of Native American philosophy and scholarship. In this entry, Professor Kozlowski outlines his expectations for the class (as well as for these "notes" going forward), discusses the obstacles he's found as he tries to enter the world of Native American scholarship, and confronts some key ideas and problems in Cordova's book. To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ or contact him directly at profbkozlowski2@gmail.com. And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Professor Kozlowski concludes (perhaps prematurely) his discussion of the Ethics of Literature by delivering a broad-strokes summary of Wayne C. Booth's The Company We Keep: An Ethics of Fiction, along with some musing on the series' diverse and complicated conclusions, and thoughts about future projects. To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

There are few matters in art criticism (and life) closer to Professor Kozlowski's heart than the mental/spiritual war against capital-N Nihilism - retaining hope in the face of despair, remaining positive in the face of relentless negativity, and perpetually adjusting one's perspective to acknowledge the value of the good things in the world, even when plans go awry and things fall apart. That conviction lies hand-in-hand with his reading of John Gardner's On Moral Fiction, which casts artists in the role of warriors against the dark, explicitly comparing art to Thor's Hammer, beating back the forces of evil. In this lecture, Professor Kozlowski explores Gardner's stark, martial metaphors, assesses the fine distinctions between moral and immoral art, and applies these findings to the art world today. To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

Professor Kozlowski discusses the first half of John Gardner's On Moral Fiction: "Premises on Art and Morality", where we'll identify some of the current philosophical ideas undermining the possibility of moral fiction in the 1970's (and today), examine those issues in many writers contemporary to Gardner, and think about the ways that modern media is equally evasive of or troubled by these problems. To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.

This podcast explores Professor Kozlowski's interpretation of Derrida's 'This Strange Institution Called Literature' and examines the validity of different acts of interpretation. It discusses Derrida's impact on literature, the misinterpretation of deconstruction, and the ethical implications of meaning in literature. The podcast also explores the Bible's views on slavery, women, and homosexuality, delves into the boundaries of interpretation, and questions the concept of saying everything in literature. Lastly, it tackles Derrida's perspective on literature, the ethical dimension of storytelling, and a discussion about John Gardener's 'On Moral Fiction'.

Professor Kozlowski concludes his discussion of Ayn Rand's The Romantic Manifesto by examining Rand's confused description of Romanticism, her curious application of Romantic ideals to popular, commercial art, and her examination of the pedagogical function of art, especially for children. Can we reconcile the valuable insights of Rand artistic philosophy with her hostile, narrow view of what constitutes great art? To see what else Professor Kozlowski is up to, visit his webpage: https://professorkozlowski.wordpress.com/ And please consider contributing to Professor Kozlowski's Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/ProfessorKozlowski - where you'll also be able to vote for and suggest new topics for future lectures.