“Patrick O'Donnell, teacher of religion and philosophy, dies at age 69 - Denver Post” plus 2 more

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• Patrick O'Donnell, teacher of religion and philosophy, dies at age 69 - Denver Post
• Ask the Ontologist - Salon
• Philosophy prof uses 'Wonderland' to answer the big questions - Los Angeles Times Blogs

Patrick O'Donnell, teacher of religion and philosophy, dies at age 69 - Denver Post Posted: 01 Mar 2010 12:12 AM PST Patrick O'Donnell, who taught religion and philosophy while in the priesthood and after he left, died Feb. 15 after a long illness. He was 69. O'Donnell "was a beautiful inspiration to me," said Susan Doty, who took a class about the parables of Jesus from O'Donnell at St. Thomas Catholic Seminary (now the John Paul II Center for Evangelization). "He was funny, so devoted, and made you believe he believed what he taught," said Doty, who was the first married woman to get a master's degree at the seminary. Inspired by O'Donnell, she went back to school and then taught religious studies at Regis University, she said. O'Donnell, who studied archaeology and had a long interest in American Indians, also taught American Indian spirituality at Regis, where he taught adult students for 20 years. He was a volunteer with the Native American Homeless Talk Circle, which helps people with difficulties, said his wife, Dee O'Donnell. He visited scores of pueblos in Colorado and went on an archaeological dig in Egypt. O'Donnell regularly attended Mass with an American Indian congregation in Lakewood and had a kachina doll, a flute and Native American pottery in his hospice room, Doty said. O'Donnell also taught courses at Colorado Women's College (now gone) and the Iliff School of Theology. O'Donnell belonged to the Irish Club of Denver and the Fiddlesteppers, a square- dance group. Patrick O'Donnell was born in Chicago on Nov. 12, 1940, earned master's degrees in religion at Harvard, Catholic University and the Biblical Institute in Rome, and earned his doctorate in the New Testament at Iliff School of Theology. He was ordained in 1960 into the Catholic priesthood as a member of the Vincentian order. He left the priesthood in 1978. He married Dee Ward on Aug. 16, 1992. In addition to his wife, he is survived by stepchildren Cheri Matthes of Buena Vista, Cindy Shanklin of Grand Junction, Todd Bardwick of Denver and David Bardwick of Missoula, Mont., and four step-grandchildren. Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Ask the Ontologist - Salon Posted: 01 Mar 2010 10:28 AM PST Ontology, as every lisping toddler knows, is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of being and reality, and asks fun questions such as "What beings exist, or can be said to exist?" Thus, an exchange between a youngster who is curious about ontology and his mother might go as follows: BOBBY:  Mom, can I have my imaginary friend "Timmy" over today? MOTHER:  Bobby, I think it's Timmy's turn to have you over to his house to play. BOBBY:  Yay! MOTHER:  Be careful crossing the street . . . Jimmy Stewart, with "Harvey" Even though we learn ontology at our mothers' knees, many people appear confused or perplexed as they go through their daily lives by the appearance, or non-appearance of others around them.  The voices you hear in your head--are they real?  Of course they're real--otherwise you wouldn't hear them.  But the people you hear talking--are they real?  Let's put it this way--they might ask the same question about you! Seance circle Unfortunately, most HMOs do not cover visits to the ontologist, and until we have universal healthcare coverage, they probably won't.  That's why I've arranged to have Stanley Fishell, Ph. D., Professor of Philosophy at Barton College in Orono, Maine and a specialist in ontology, answer your questions about being and reality.  Dr. Fisher--welcome. ONTOLOGIST:  Glad to be here. HOST:  If you're here. ONTOLOGIST:  Ha-ha.  If I had a nickel for every stupid philosophy joke people subjected me to, I wouldn't be driving a 1997 Volvo. HOST:  Enough about you, let's talk about talking. ONTOLOGIST:  What about it? Cool! HOST:  With the proliferation of cell phones . . . ONTOLOGIST:  The bane of my existence! HOST:  You will often see people walking down the street, talking on the phone, and gesturing with their hands.  What do think about that? ONTOLOGIST:  Not much.  Your gestures basically are just stirring up air, which, like the flapping of a butterfly's wings in chaos theory, could start a hurricane that wipes out a remote island village in the Pacific. HOST:  So ix-nay on the and-hay estures-jay? ONTOLOGIST:  What? HOST:  That's pig Latin. ONTOLOGIST:  Oh.  So few of my students know a foreign language these days.  I think it's okay, unless you're driving.  Then the people you put at risk could track you down and sue you. "J. Edgar Hoover--stop borrowing my panty hose!" HOST:  How about talking to yourself on the street? ONTOLOGIST:  If you're really talking to yourself, fine.  If you're talking to somebody who's not there, not so good. HOST:  Why's that? ONTOLOGIST:  What's the point?  You might as well be talking to your spouse for all the good it does. "Did I ever tell you--you're my heee-ro!" HOST:  I see.  One last line between reality and fantasy that's been troubling me--singing. ONTOLOGIST:  Were you the guy singing along to "I Knew You Were Waiting" by George Michael and Aretha Franklin in the cabernet section of Town Line Liquors last night? Aretha and George Michael HOST:  I hadn't heard that song since the late 80's.  I couldn't help myself. ONTOLOGIST:  Yes, but you were dancing too. HOST:  That's self-referential. ONTOLOGIST:  No, it's not.  It's a form of social display.  Robin Collingwood . . . HOST:  The British philosopher? Robin Collingwood, Robin Roberts:  Curiously, never seen in the same room together. ONTOLOGIST:  No, Robin Collingwood who pitched for the Phillies in the 60's. HOST:  I thought that was Robin Roberts . . . ONTOLOGIST:  Of course it was.  I was pulling your leg . . . HOST:  Figuratively. ONTOLOGIST:  Precisely.  Anyway, Collingwood said dance was the first form of language. HOST:  Pfft.  Collingwood--what did he know? ONTOLOGIST:  He replaced Denny Terrio on "Dance Fever". HOST: No he didn't.  Nobody could ever replace Denny Terrio. ONTOLOGIST:  Reminds me of a poem . . . HOST:  Oh God . . . ONTOLOGIST:  By William Hughes Mearns, called "Antigonish".  HOST:  Go ahead. ONTOLOGIST: Yesterday, upon the stair I saw a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish, I wish, he'd go away. HOST:  You don't have a picture of him we can put in this post? ONTOLOGIST:  Oddly enough, when you do a Google Image search for Mearns, you get . . . HOST:  Nothing? ONTOLOGIST:  Strange, isn't it. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Philosophy prof uses 'Wonderland' to answer the big questions - Los Angeles Times Blogs Posted: 26 Feb 2010 03:54 PM PST "ALICE IN WONDERLAND" COUNTDOWN: 7 DAYS Are you ready for a trip down the rabbit hole? Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Disney are adding a strange new chapter to the Lewis Carroll classic with their "Alice in Wonderland," a film that presents a young woman who finds herself in the world of the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the Red Queen. She is welcomed as a returning visitor -- but is she, in fact, the same Alice who roamed the trippy realm as a child? Time will tell. Here at the Hero Complex, we're counting down to the film's March 5 release with daily coverage. Should the Cheshire Cat's grin make us reconsider the nature of reality? Can Humpty Dumpty make words mean whatever he says they mean? Is Alice a feminist icon? Those are a few of the questions in"Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: Curiouser and Curiouser," a book by William Irwin, a philosophy professor at King's College in Pennsylvania, who has made a specialty of using pop culture to frame his classroom approach. He took the idea to the bookshelf with in 1999 as editor of  "Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing" and then again, with bestselling results, with "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer" in 2001. More books followed, using "The Matrix," Metallica and "The Terminator" as the lenses for examining philosophical topics. Books on "True Blood," "Mad Men" and "30 Rock" will be released later this year, while the "Wonderland" collection just hit shelves timed to exploit the arrival of Tim Burton's cinematic trip down the rabbit hole . "Philosophy seems kinda dry and dusty to people," Irwin said, "But everyone is interested in popular culture. We found a way to communicate that to students and the general public by meeting them halfway. For example, 'The Simpsons', is one of the most popular shows on college campuses for a long run. That would get students interested in a hurry." "Wonderland" is an especially good fit for the series because academics have been making references to Carroll's work for a century. "Lewis Carroll himself was a sort of philosopher," Irwin said. "Even though he's writing a children's book, a lot of the things that are fun for children are philosophical -- nature, the difference of appearance vs. reality. "It's really engaging in 'Alice.' It's done in a very engaging and intellectually charged way and leads a nice logical puzzle in a way." Richard Brian Davis, an associate professor of philosophy at Tyndale University College and Seminary who co-edited the "Alice" book, said the heroine provides a lasting image of feminism. "Alice does bend the rules on a number of levels, it's still Victorian England," Davis said. "The role of women in society is still pretty limited. Lewis Carroll is really exploding that myth completely with Alice. We wanted to tap into that. We wanted to latch onto a figure, and we couldn't think of anybody better. Alice is better than any Disney princess. You might think of a woman who competes on men's terms so she's not marginalized. I think Alice goes beyond that. The question is rather 'Can you out-think men.' All through that book, you will see her out think men on every level. I think she's a much better role model than someone who exercises just sheer power, unlike the Queen of Hearts. This is the kind of woman that a philosophy professor would want his daughters to grow up like." Irwin said he hopes to release an "Avatar and Philosophy," book in the series soon. "It's hugely popular and it raises philosophical questions," Irwin said. "It's the kind of thing that after seeing it they talk about it, and want to keep talking about it. So we take it as the opportunity to want to talk about philosophy." - Gerrick D. Kennedy RECENT AND RELATED The White Queen as domestic goddess Avril Lavigne wanders in "Wonderland" "Alice in Wonderland" as silent film, musical and ... porn? Mia Wasikowska on Depp: "He's so brave and smart" Johnny Depp picks his poison for "Alice" "Alice" star says "Wonderland" is a sequel, not remake Burton says "Alice" has a "national treasure" in actress Windsor Burton and stars will be at "Alice" fan event in L.A. on Feb. 19 Meet Bloodhound, a newcomer to Wonderland "Alice" screenwriter is ready for the haters Red Queen = Leona Helmsley? Maybe so, says Burton Burton took a "Shining" to Tweedledee and Tweedledum FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post ahd William Irwin's name spelled both correctly and incorecctly in different spots. It all right now. We try to stay philsophical about these sort of things.  Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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