Author Archives: Santi Tafarella

About Santi Tafarella

I teach writing and literature at Antelope Valley College in California.

Woke Fanatics? Essentialists vs. Nominalists

Posted on October 17, 2019

What’s a fanatic, exactly? The well-known Catholic essentialist philosopher Edward Feser, in a recent post at his blog, points to feminist philosophers like Kathleen Stock, Holly Lawford-Smith, and Julie Bindel as “woke fanatics,” but what is a fanatic, exactly, but someone … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, critical thinking, Darwin, edward feser, feminism, philosophy, poetry, reason, rhetoric, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.10: Emerson’s “Circles”

Posted on January 7, 2019

Eye and horizon. Below are a few excerpts from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s (1803-1882) essay, “Circles” (1841). In the essay, he likens the writer’s vision and imagination to something like an onion, layer overlaying layer. Each moment the eye is overlaid with a new horizon or … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, beauty, critical thinking, Darwin, education, Emerson, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.9: Imitation And Emulation With An Eye On Competition

Posted on October 17, 2018

Concept 2.9. Imitation and emulation with an eye on competition. The ancient Greek teacher Longinus is among the first thinkers to address what would become a recurrent theme in the history of writing, and most especially, literary criticism: the sublime … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, atomism, critical thinking, donald trump, education, edward feser, God, Hegel, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.8: Selection And Editing

Posted on October 16, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, Darwin, education, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.7: Audience And Rhetorical Strategy

Posted on October 16, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, donald trump, education, edward feser, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.6: Moving From First Sentence To Thesis

Posted on October 16, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in critical thinking, education, reason, rhetoric, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course in Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.16: Thinking Critically About Beauty, Art, And Literature

Posted on October 15, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, atomism, beauty, critical thinking, david hume, education, edward feser, meditation, philosophy, poetry, reason, rhetoric, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.15: Know Where You’re Entering The Intellectual Conversation

Posted on October 14, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, education, edward feser, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.13: The Committed Writer

Posted on October 14, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, david hume, education, edward feser, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.14: Binomial Definition

Posted on October 14, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, critical thinking, edward feser, Lucretius, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.12: The Spell-Casting Mystifier

Posted on October 13, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, david hume, donald trump, education, edward feser, hillary clinton, Lucretius, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.11: The Writerly Persona Of The Critical Thinker

Posted on October 13, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, david hume, education, edward feser, Lucretius, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.5: Genre

Posted on October 13, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in critical thinking, education, reason, rhetoric, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.4: Thesis

Posted on October 8, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in critical thinking, education, reason, rhetoric, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.3: Rhetoric Is Sexy

Posted on October 8, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, critical thinking, education, origins, philosophy, poetry, reason, rhetoric, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.2: Getting To Yes Is The Goal Of Rhetoric

Posted on October 7, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, critical thinking, education, edward feser, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.1: Rhetoric Is The Music Of You, Sent To Others (Ethos, Logos, Pathos)

Posted on October 7, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in critical thinking, education, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course in Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.10: Skepticism

Posted on October 7, 2018

I’ve decided to attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter is a mini-course in … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, david hume, education, edward feser, Lucretius, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, Uncategorized, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course in Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.9: Moving From Innocence To Experience

Posted on October 6, 2018

I thought I would attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter would be a … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, beauty, david hume, education, edward feser, Lucretius, philosophy, poetry, reason, rhetoric, science, writing | Leave a comment

A Mini-Course In Critical Thinking For Writers. Concept 1.8: Scientific Method

Posted on October 6, 2018

I thought I would attempt the first draft of a college-level textbook, writing it directly into my blog, bit by bit. Feedback and recommendations in the thread comments are welcome, either encouraging or critical. The first chapter would be a … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, critical thinking, david hume, education, edward feser, Lucretius, philosophy, reason, rhetoric, science, writing | 1 Comment