Dr. James M. Magrini taught Philosophy and Ethics at the College of Dupage for fifteen years. During his tenure he received the following awards and distinctions: (1) 2013 Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award for Liberal Arts (College of Dupage) and (2) 2017 Michael Oliker Award (Society for Philosophical Study of Education) for his book, Plato's Socrates at the Limit of Education (Routledge Press). He is on the Editorial Board of Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education. The Independent Scholar Journal (NCIS) has just published his essay, "Reading the Jefferson Bible: Elucidating the Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth" in its Spring issue (see list of most recent Academia publications). Magrini's Heidegger essays are accessible at Beyng.com (Ereignis), the largest and most visited international site dedicated to archiving all things related to Heidegger.
This essay explores nihilism and pessimism in Nietzsche while developing an understanding of the ... more This essay explores nihilism and pessimism in Nietzsche while developing an understanding of the self-in-transition (becoming who you are), a view to self-hood that stands opposed to the traditional nucleated metaphysical self as indelible, hypostatized, or transcendental mind or soul. Moving from The Birth of Tragedy through the later writings, such as The Gay Science and Twilight of the Idols, we analyze the evolving view of Dionysus-from primordial metaphysical principle to idealized persona. It is argued that in Nietzsche's later writings Dionysus is brought down from the soaring metaphysical heights to serve as an inspirational symbolization of the Hellenicinspired view of an ascending life, which is enacted through the artist-philosopher's attuned discharge of will to power. In working toward the interpretive end of elucidating the dangers of hope and philosophical optimism, we turn to the compilation of his voluminous notes ultimately published as The Will to Power, to offer a detailed reading of Nietzsche's understanding of Passive Nihilism/Pessimism of Decline and Active Nihilism/Pessimism of Strength. The latter, it is shown, manifests in what Nietzsche calls "Dionysian Pessimism" and it is linked with the persona of Dionysus and the type of aesthetic response to nihilism this idealized persona inspires. For in his later corpus, Dionysus assumes something of an all-encompassing, all-consuming presence, now in the foreground of Nietzsche's thought, while the Apollonian form of aesthetic attunement (Rausch) appears to recede into the background, playing a distant secondary role in Nietzsche's view of aesthetics. In writing this essay, our thoughts were guided by the ever-present question of what it is that Nietzsche might be able to teach us with all of his inspired poetic thinking on the tragic Greeks and the god of wine and tragedy. In the end, we entertain the following possibility: despite inhabiting a world devoid of intrinsic meanings and established values, it is not an existence without imminent potential for inspiring human self-overcoming and secular transcendence. Therefore, by emulating Nietzsche's Dionysus, it is certainly possible to live in a productive, ascending, and rewarding manner.
This unique essay elucidates a view of “Heidegger’s Socrates” with the understanding that Socrate... more This unique essay elucidates a view of “Heidegger’s Socrates” with the understanding that Socrates, unlike Plato, is a highly enigmatic figure in the Heideggerian corpus. In what follows, I attempt to sketch a portrait of Socrates—as a decidedly “non-doctrinal” philosopher or thinker—from an understanding of Heidegger’s philosophy in a way that might be related to a unique vision of education (paideia) as a philosophical way-of-Being, or perhaps, and more appropriately, given Heidegger’s explicit and unwavering task during the “Turn,” a mode of “pure thinking” unfolding in the relationship with the truth-of-Being, which is at once an originary educative event. Ultimately, turning to a view of Heidegger’s Socrates, I offer a counter view to such common educational issues as the employment of methods, the means of knowledge acquisition, and the understanding of the learning process as they comprise the educational experience in the age of standardization and the rise and dominance of STEM curricula. The essay unfolds in three sections: (1) I explore Heidegger’s analysis of Plato and discuss how the metaphysics that can be drawn from Plato’s philosophy influences our conception and practice of education; (2) I offer a detailed analysis of pure thinking, truth, and dialectic method in relation to “Heidegger’s Socrates,” which includes insights on how this view might be clarified and enhanced by turning to a non-doctrinal interpretation of Plato’s Socrates emerging from recent scholarship focused on rereadings of the Platonic corpus; and (3) I synthesize the foregoing analyses with a view of education (paideia), attempting to elucidate a unique vision of a Socratic education in the spirit of Heidegger’s reading, which lives beyond the understanding of philosophy akin to a science and education understood as a standardized, controllable, and predictable technological achievement. In relation to (2), a unique approach is adopted, which includes, because of the lack of detailed material written by Heidegger about Socrates, consulting works that are not explicitly Heideggerian in theme or content, e.g., turning to Continental Platonic scholarship which will assist in showing how key ideas emerging from Heidegger’s reading of Socrates might be understood when further illuminated by similar writings embracing Socrates, as does Heidegger, as a radically “non-doctrinal” and “non-systematic” thinker. This is an expanded version of Chapter four from my book, Philosophical Sojourns (2023) - it was edited by and posted on Beyng.com
This is an extended version of an essay that was published in R. Capobianco's (ed.) book: Heidegg... more This is an extended version of an essay that was published in R. Capobianco's (ed.) book: Heidegger and the Holy (published: Rowman & Littlefield Press - 2020). It focuses on Heidegger's reading of Greek tragedy as expressed through the ideas of Necessity, Measure, and Law. Tragedy, I argue, is a supreme encounter with the Holy in Heidegger.
Book review: Thomas Jovanovski. Aesthetic Transformations: Taking Nietzsche at His Word. New York... more Book review: Thomas Jovanovski. Aesthetic Transformations: Taking Nietzsche at His Word. New York: Peter Lang 2008. 169 pages (Hard Bound) American University Studies Series, Vol. 204
This short essay, written for aspiring students of philosophy rather than experts in the field, d... more This short essay, written for aspiring students of philosophy rather than experts in the field, draws inspiration from an unlikely source; it explores and pursues an understanding of Socratic philosophy through the reading of a dialogue that Plato did not author, namely, the apocryphal dialogue, On Justice.
Nietzsche’s The Anti-Christ (1888) is the philosopher’s final and perhaps most powerful, detailed... more Nietzsche’s The Anti-Christ (1888) is the philosopher’s final and perhaps most powerful, detailed and sustained psychological attack against systematic, institutionalized Christianity – the final assault on what Nietzsche dubbed a decadent form of life-negating beliefs, the ultimate exercise in ressentiment that robs the superior individual of his strength and creativity. This essay, which explores Nietzsche’s view of the troubled and dangerous psychology of Christianity, seeks to develop a portrait of Nietzsche’s (or Dionysos’) worthy adversary, Jesus, the Nazarene, the “redeemer,” the “Crucified,” the “bringer of glad tidings.” The essay unfolds in three sections: (1) Nietzsche’s critique of the psychology of Christianity and the priest, attuned with ressentiment and driven to revenge his shortcomings on others through lies and subjugation; (2) Nietzsche’s portray of Jesus as one who is internally transformed by love through the spirit of God, a practitioner of “glad tidings” and one who lives the Kingdom of God – as a child of God – at every moment in his ministry. Nietzsche uniquely claims that the Kingdom of God is immanent as opposed to transcendent or futural; Nietzsche’s reading cuts against what are commonly known as eschatological readings; and (3) The birth and establishment of institutionalized Christianity many years after Jesus’ death of the cross, which many, including Paul, who Nietzsche dubs the “worst of all,” attempted to make sense of and rationalize, but in doing so they created such fantastical and dangerous notions such as the Resurrection, Final Judgement, Holy Son of the Divine Father, the Trinity.
This sustained reading of the film Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez is approached throu... more This sustained reading of the film Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez is approached through the lens of an eco-phenomenology; Black Wave is a riveting documentary still holding valuable lessons for us if we are attuned to responding to its message regarding the proliferation of global environmental or ecological destruction. The documentary is focused on one of the most extreme environmental disasters in the history of the United States, the Exxon-Valdez tanker oil spill (29 March 1989) occurring in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The film establishes the ineluctable connection between the oil spill and wanton political corruption, unfettered corporate greed, and flagrant disregard for the condition and dire fate of all that is non-human, the natural world and its propensity for destruction at the hands of humanity. Black Wave primarily highlights the social, economic, and legal consequences of the massive 11-million-gallon oil spill, e.g., the demise of the fishing industry and the many hardships that the Alaskan communities endured, including prolonged physical illnesses and protracted legal battles in the largely unsuccessful attempt to secure compensatory and punitive damages from the Exxon Corporation.
This essay highlights elements of Continental philosophy that include ontology as related to the ... more This essay highlights elements of Continental philosophy that include ontology as related to the analysis of the Plato’s Meno. It considers why Plato dramatized the philosophy of Socrates using the dialogue form and how we learn when reading Plato, a process that invites us into the drama of the dialogues as participants, co-seekers of truth, and students of Socrates. Providing a close reading of the Meno, an understanding of Socrates’ practice of education, which includes the issues of formulating questions, co-learning, and learned ignorance, emerges from the analysis of Socrates’ examination of the essence of virtue. In conclusion, speculation is offered regarding what educators might learn from Plato’s Socrates. Although we conclude that it is impossible to replicate a Socratic education in our contemporary classrooms, moments of enlightenment are present in the dialogues that serve as food for thought for potentially transforming and improving our pedagogic philosophies and methods.
Review: Heidegger’s Being: The Shimmering Unfolding, Richard Capobianco University of Toronto Pre... more Review: Heidegger’s Being: The Shimmering Unfolding, Richard Capobianco University of Toronto Press, 2022, 187 pages (Hard Bound) (New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)
From the article: “When privileging science and math in the curriculum at the expense of the huma... more From the article: “When privileging science and math in the curriculum at the expense of the humanities, education sacrifices what is most essential: the important civic function of the humanities. As a result, we produce ‘a nation of employees, not citizens.'”
In previous papers I have brought philosophical hermeneutics in conversation with critical hermen... more In previous papers I have brought philosophical hermeneutics in conversation with critical hermeneutics, in order to open the potential for Gadamer’s “moderate hermeneutics” to be re-considered as a potential democratic practice of discourse with the potential of transforming social situations that are unjust and inequitable (Magrini, 2014; 2013; 2010). Emerging from this conceptual/theoretical “textual” analysis of philosophical hermeneutics and critical hermeneutics, I offer a reading of the ancient Socratic practice of dialectic as a form of critical, inclusive, and constructive democratic dialogue, i.e., an expression of local normative hermeneutics grounded in a form of understanding that occurs through consensus and negotiation among, as Plato calls them in the Seventh Letter, “well-meaning” and “non- combative” participants.
This journal article offers a close reading of Jefferson's Bible and elucidates the ethical philo... more This journal article offers a close reading of Jefferson's Bible and elucidates the ethical philosophy of the historical Jesus. Link to journal's page (The Independent Scholar) below: https://www.ncis.org/the-independent-scholar/tis
This PDF book is a close reading of D. S. Hutchinson's translation of the Alcibiades I. It focuse... more This PDF book is a close reading of D. S. Hutchinson's translation of the Alcibiades I. It focuses on the Socratic notion and practice of politics and education, analyzing the entire dialogue between Socrates and the young Alcibiades.
This essay gives a brief overview and analysis of Kenneth Anger's experimental film Lucifer Risin... more This essay gives a brief overview and analysis of Kenneth Anger's experimental film Lucifer Rising - published in the film journal, Senses of Cinema.
To understand what Heidegger refers to as “destitute times” in relation to the exigent need for p... more To understand what Heidegger refers to as “destitute times” in relation to the exigent need for poets, it is crucial to start with the relationship between technological “machination” and “lived experience” as discussed in Heidegger’s Contributions to Philosophy. This essay works to elucidate a view of technology that might be referred to as a dysfunctional form of poiesis, an understanding and experience of modern technology emerging from two interwoven and destructive events: The plundering of the earth through technological machination and the failure to seek out the hidden philosophical origins that give rise to this occurrence. These issues are directly responsible for the flight of the gods from the contemporary historical milieu and are inseparable from the forgetfulness of Being (Seinsvergessenheit) and the loss of the living and nurturing presence of “holy, which leads to the degeneration of our relation to the Earth as a space of “poetic” building and dwelling. A particularly troubling issue for Heidegger related to poetry (Dichtung), which is expressive of the “saying of the unconcealment of beings…the founding of truth,” is our alienation from the essential relation to language as an originary phenomenon of “naming,” which links us to our authentic historical world. Under the sway of technology’s attunement (das Ge-stell), related to the oppressive influence of the metaphysics of presence, the earth, world, and fellow humans are revealed through the limited mode of dis-closure that Heidegger identifies as “calculative thinking” (rechnendes Denken), and this is expressed by Heidegger in terms of driving technological “machination.”
“I am of the view that Heideggerian scholarship should continue to acknowledge and grapple with t... more “I am of the view that Heideggerian scholarship should continue to acknowledge and grapple with the relationship between the philosopher and his politics, which undoubtedly includes working through new ideological chasms from his recently published Notebooks.“
This essay explores Socrates' unique involvement in Athenian politics, and we observe that Socrat... more This essay explores Socrates' unique involvement in Athenian politics, and we observe that Socrates' philosophical advice for politicians in the apocryphal dialogue Alcibiades I, which is grounded in the dialectic practice of "cultivation of the soul," embraces the belief that even if the entire city is blessed with having the most perfect technological/technē and scientific knowledge/epistēmē, "possessing all the sciences put together," it would still represent an impoverished state. For according to Socrates, there is no hope or "chance of getting any things well and beneficially done" if we do not have, in the first instance, the philosophical understanding/phronēsis of "good and evil" to inform and guide all of our so-called technical efforts and inspire our scientific achievements (Charmides 174d). In relation to Socrates' understanding of the philosopher and polis and what is required in order to envision and potentially establish a just and virtuously functioning city, what we find in three of Plato's dialogues might be classified as an "idealized" state and practice of politics in the Republic, a "paradigmatic" political model in the Statesman, and a "philosophical-propaedeutic" view of politics in the Alcibiades I. The problems associated with fully reconciling Socrates' practice of philosophy with politics are explored by Charles Griswold who claims that scholars searching for such a reconciliation often mistakenly do so by offering readings that suggest a legitimate "blueprint" for politics can be found in and drawn from the dialogues. There are also readings, he points out, that issue warnings against attempting to enact such a blueprint. Such approaches expose the difficulty or even impossibility of demanding that Socratic philosophy rise to the level of instituting a praxis of politikē, and so caution should be exercised when dealing with this issue, and it is essential that interpreters embrace the literary or dialogic dimension of the portrayal of Socratic philosophy in the dialogues. This so-called "dramatic-philosophical" dimension, as Griswold contends, breaks open a "horizon for reflection on ethics as well as politics," and in doing so, allows us to approach these issues in a more authentically Socratic manner, namely, "as open to question." Contrary to viewing this issue in terms of an "open question," J. A. Corlett argues that scholars seeking a consistent and cohesive view of Socratic politics often focus on the seeming inconsistency between Socrates' claims in the Apology regarding his disobeying the law insofar as it is unjust and potentially harmful to the life of a philosopher and Socrates' bold support of an individual's legal obligation in the Crito. Corlett finds no such contradiction to exist, and he argues against what he claims is the false assumption that the Crito espouses a Kantian or deontological conception of the laws and then portrays Socrates' unquestioned duty to them, whether or not the laws and the political institutions establishing them are corrupt and unjust. Corlett convincingly shows that it is Plato's creative/literary portrayal of the laws/nomoi that represents an authoritarian view, which is to say that it is the personified laws that express the conviction that it would be unethical and unjust to "disobey the legal authority of even a wrongful conviction." But this is not Socrates' position.
This short essay is focused on gleaning Heideggerian implications (intimations) from the comparat... more This short essay is focused on gleaning Heideggerian implications (intimations) from the comparative anthropology of the French historian-classicist Marcel Detienne.
This essay explores nihilism and pessimism in Nietzsche while developing an understanding of the ... more This essay explores nihilism and pessimism in Nietzsche while developing an understanding of the self-in-transition (becoming who you are), a view to self-hood that stands opposed to the traditional nucleated metaphysical self as indelible, hypostatized, or transcendental mind or soul. Moving from The Birth of Tragedy through the later writings, such as The Gay Science and Twilight of the Idols, we analyze the evolving view of Dionysus-from primordial metaphysical principle to idealized persona. It is argued that in Nietzsche's later writings Dionysus is brought down from the soaring metaphysical heights to serve as an inspirational symbolization of the Hellenicinspired view of an ascending life, which is enacted through the artist-philosopher's attuned discharge of will to power. In working toward the interpretive end of elucidating the dangers of hope and philosophical optimism, we turn to the compilation of his voluminous notes ultimately published as The Will to Power, to offer a detailed reading of Nietzsche's understanding of Passive Nihilism/Pessimism of Decline and Active Nihilism/Pessimism of Strength. The latter, it is shown, manifests in what Nietzsche calls "Dionysian Pessimism" and it is linked with the persona of Dionysus and the type of aesthetic response to nihilism this idealized persona inspires. For in his later corpus, Dionysus assumes something of an all-encompassing, all-consuming presence, now in the foreground of Nietzsche's thought, while the Apollonian form of aesthetic attunement (Rausch) appears to recede into the background, playing a distant secondary role in Nietzsche's view of aesthetics. In writing this essay, our thoughts were guided by the ever-present question of what it is that Nietzsche might be able to teach us with all of his inspired poetic thinking on the tragic Greeks and the god of wine and tragedy. In the end, we entertain the following possibility: despite inhabiting a world devoid of intrinsic meanings and established values, it is not an existence without imminent potential for inspiring human self-overcoming and secular transcendence. Therefore, by emulating Nietzsche's Dionysus, it is certainly possible to live in a productive, ascending, and rewarding manner.
This unique essay elucidates a view of “Heidegger’s Socrates” with the understanding that Socrate... more This unique essay elucidates a view of “Heidegger’s Socrates” with the understanding that Socrates, unlike Plato, is a highly enigmatic figure in the Heideggerian corpus. In what follows, I attempt to sketch a portrait of Socrates—as a decidedly “non-doctrinal” philosopher or thinker—from an understanding of Heidegger’s philosophy in a way that might be related to a unique vision of education (paideia) as a philosophical way-of-Being, or perhaps, and more appropriately, given Heidegger’s explicit and unwavering task during the “Turn,” a mode of “pure thinking” unfolding in the relationship with the truth-of-Being, which is at once an originary educative event. Ultimately, turning to a view of Heidegger’s Socrates, I offer a counter view to such common educational issues as the employment of methods, the means of knowledge acquisition, and the understanding of the learning process as they comprise the educational experience in the age of standardization and the rise and dominance of STEM curricula. The essay unfolds in three sections: (1) I explore Heidegger’s analysis of Plato and discuss how the metaphysics that can be drawn from Plato’s philosophy influences our conception and practice of education; (2) I offer a detailed analysis of pure thinking, truth, and dialectic method in relation to “Heidegger’s Socrates,” which includes insights on how this view might be clarified and enhanced by turning to a non-doctrinal interpretation of Plato’s Socrates emerging from recent scholarship focused on rereadings of the Platonic corpus; and (3) I synthesize the foregoing analyses with a view of education (paideia), attempting to elucidate a unique vision of a Socratic education in the spirit of Heidegger’s reading, which lives beyond the understanding of philosophy akin to a science and education understood as a standardized, controllable, and predictable technological achievement. In relation to (2), a unique approach is adopted, which includes, because of the lack of detailed material written by Heidegger about Socrates, consulting works that are not explicitly Heideggerian in theme or content, e.g., turning to Continental Platonic scholarship which will assist in showing how key ideas emerging from Heidegger’s reading of Socrates might be understood when further illuminated by similar writings embracing Socrates, as does Heidegger, as a radically “non-doctrinal” and “non-systematic” thinker. This is an expanded version of Chapter four from my book, Philosophical Sojourns (2023) - it was edited by and posted on Beyng.com
This is an extended version of an essay that was published in R. Capobianco's (ed.) book: Heidegg... more This is an extended version of an essay that was published in R. Capobianco's (ed.) book: Heidegger and the Holy (published: Rowman & Littlefield Press - 2020). It focuses on Heidegger's reading of Greek tragedy as expressed through the ideas of Necessity, Measure, and Law. Tragedy, I argue, is a supreme encounter with the Holy in Heidegger.
Book review: Thomas Jovanovski. Aesthetic Transformations: Taking Nietzsche at His Word. New York... more Book review: Thomas Jovanovski. Aesthetic Transformations: Taking Nietzsche at His Word. New York: Peter Lang 2008. 169 pages (Hard Bound) American University Studies Series, Vol. 204
This short essay, written for aspiring students of philosophy rather than experts in the field, d... more This short essay, written for aspiring students of philosophy rather than experts in the field, draws inspiration from an unlikely source; it explores and pursues an understanding of Socratic philosophy through the reading of a dialogue that Plato did not author, namely, the apocryphal dialogue, On Justice.
Nietzsche’s The Anti-Christ (1888) is the philosopher’s final and perhaps most powerful, detailed... more Nietzsche’s The Anti-Christ (1888) is the philosopher’s final and perhaps most powerful, detailed and sustained psychological attack against systematic, institutionalized Christianity – the final assault on what Nietzsche dubbed a decadent form of life-negating beliefs, the ultimate exercise in ressentiment that robs the superior individual of his strength and creativity. This essay, which explores Nietzsche’s view of the troubled and dangerous psychology of Christianity, seeks to develop a portrait of Nietzsche’s (or Dionysos’) worthy adversary, Jesus, the Nazarene, the “redeemer,” the “Crucified,” the “bringer of glad tidings.” The essay unfolds in three sections: (1) Nietzsche’s critique of the psychology of Christianity and the priest, attuned with ressentiment and driven to revenge his shortcomings on others through lies and subjugation; (2) Nietzsche’s portray of Jesus as one who is internally transformed by love through the spirit of God, a practitioner of “glad tidings” and one who lives the Kingdom of God – as a child of God – at every moment in his ministry. Nietzsche uniquely claims that the Kingdom of God is immanent as opposed to transcendent or futural; Nietzsche’s reading cuts against what are commonly known as eschatological readings; and (3) The birth and establishment of institutionalized Christianity many years after Jesus’ death of the cross, which many, including Paul, who Nietzsche dubs the “worst of all,” attempted to make sense of and rationalize, but in doing so they created such fantastical and dangerous notions such as the Resurrection, Final Judgement, Holy Son of the Divine Father, the Trinity.
This sustained reading of the film Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez is approached throu... more This sustained reading of the film Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez is approached through the lens of an eco-phenomenology; Black Wave is a riveting documentary still holding valuable lessons for us if we are attuned to responding to its message regarding the proliferation of global environmental or ecological destruction. The documentary is focused on one of the most extreme environmental disasters in the history of the United States, the Exxon-Valdez tanker oil spill (29 March 1989) occurring in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The film establishes the ineluctable connection between the oil spill and wanton political corruption, unfettered corporate greed, and flagrant disregard for the condition and dire fate of all that is non-human, the natural world and its propensity for destruction at the hands of humanity. Black Wave primarily highlights the social, economic, and legal consequences of the massive 11-million-gallon oil spill, e.g., the demise of the fishing industry and the many hardships that the Alaskan communities endured, including prolonged physical illnesses and protracted legal battles in the largely unsuccessful attempt to secure compensatory and punitive damages from the Exxon Corporation.
This essay highlights elements of Continental philosophy that include ontology as related to the ... more This essay highlights elements of Continental philosophy that include ontology as related to the analysis of the Plato’s Meno. It considers why Plato dramatized the philosophy of Socrates using the dialogue form and how we learn when reading Plato, a process that invites us into the drama of the dialogues as participants, co-seekers of truth, and students of Socrates. Providing a close reading of the Meno, an understanding of Socrates’ practice of education, which includes the issues of formulating questions, co-learning, and learned ignorance, emerges from the analysis of Socrates’ examination of the essence of virtue. In conclusion, speculation is offered regarding what educators might learn from Plato’s Socrates. Although we conclude that it is impossible to replicate a Socratic education in our contemporary classrooms, moments of enlightenment are present in the dialogues that serve as food for thought for potentially transforming and improving our pedagogic philosophies and methods.
Review: Heidegger’s Being: The Shimmering Unfolding, Richard Capobianco University of Toronto Pre... more Review: Heidegger’s Being: The Shimmering Unfolding, Richard Capobianco University of Toronto Press, 2022, 187 pages (Hard Bound) (New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)
From the article: “When privileging science and math in the curriculum at the expense of the huma... more From the article: “When privileging science and math in the curriculum at the expense of the humanities, education sacrifices what is most essential: the important civic function of the humanities. As a result, we produce ‘a nation of employees, not citizens.'”
In previous papers I have brought philosophical hermeneutics in conversation with critical hermen... more In previous papers I have brought philosophical hermeneutics in conversation with critical hermeneutics, in order to open the potential for Gadamer’s “moderate hermeneutics” to be re-considered as a potential democratic practice of discourse with the potential of transforming social situations that are unjust and inequitable (Magrini, 2014; 2013; 2010). Emerging from this conceptual/theoretical “textual” analysis of philosophical hermeneutics and critical hermeneutics, I offer a reading of the ancient Socratic practice of dialectic as a form of critical, inclusive, and constructive democratic dialogue, i.e., an expression of local normative hermeneutics grounded in a form of understanding that occurs through consensus and negotiation among, as Plato calls them in the Seventh Letter, “well-meaning” and “non- combative” participants.
This journal article offers a close reading of Jefferson's Bible and elucidates the ethical philo... more This journal article offers a close reading of Jefferson's Bible and elucidates the ethical philosophy of the historical Jesus. Link to journal's page (The Independent Scholar) below: https://www.ncis.org/the-independent-scholar/tis
This PDF book is a close reading of D. S. Hutchinson's translation of the Alcibiades I. It focuse... more This PDF book is a close reading of D. S. Hutchinson's translation of the Alcibiades I. It focuses on the Socratic notion and practice of politics and education, analyzing the entire dialogue between Socrates and the young Alcibiades.
This essay gives a brief overview and analysis of Kenneth Anger's experimental film Lucifer Risin... more This essay gives a brief overview and analysis of Kenneth Anger's experimental film Lucifer Rising - published in the film journal, Senses of Cinema.
To understand what Heidegger refers to as “destitute times” in relation to the exigent need for p... more To understand what Heidegger refers to as “destitute times” in relation to the exigent need for poets, it is crucial to start with the relationship between technological “machination” and “lived experience” as discussed in Heidegger’s Contributions to Philosophy. This essay works to elucidate a view of technology that might be referred to as a dysfunctional form of poiesis, an understanding and experience of modern technology emerging from two interwoven and destructive events: The plundering of the earth through technological machination and the failure to seek out the hidden philosophical origins that give rise to this occurrence. These issues are directly responsible for the flight of the gods from the contemporary historical milieu and are inseparable from the forgetfulness of Being (Seinsvergessenheit) and the loss of the living and nurturing presence of “holy, which leads to the degeneration of our relation to the Earth as a space of “poetic” building and dwelling. A particularly troubling issue for Heidegger related to poetry (Dichtung), which is expressive of the “saying of the unconcealment of beings…the founding of truth,” is our alienation from the essential relation to language as an originary phenomenon of “naming,” which links us to our authentic historical world. Under the sway of technology’s attunement (das Ge-stell), related to the oppressive influence of the metaphysics of presence, the earth, world, and fellow humans are revealed through the limited mode of dis-closure that Heidegger identifies as “calculative thinking” (rechnendes Denken), and this is expressed by Heidegger in terms of driving technological “machination.”
“I am of the view that Heideggerian scholarship should continue to acknowledge and grapple with t... more “I am of the view that Heideggerian scholarship should continue to acknowledge and grapple with the relationship between the philosopher and his politics, which undoubtedly includes working through new ideological chasms from his recently published Notebooks.“
This essay explores Socrates' unique involvement in Athenian politics, and we observe that Socrat... more This essay explores Socrates' unique involvement in Athenian politics, and we observe that Socrates' philosophical advice for politicians in the apocryphal dialogue Alcibiades I, which is grounded in the dialectic practice of "cultivation of the soul," embraces the belief that even if the entire city is blessed with having the most perfect technological/technē and scientific knowledge/epistēmē, "possessing all the sciences put together," it would still represent an impoverished state. For according to Socrates, there is no hope or "chance of getting any things well and beneficially done" if we do not have, in the first instance, the philosophical understanding/phronēsis of "good and evil" to inform and guide all of our so-called technical efforts and inspire our scientific achievements (Charmides 174d). In relation to Socrates' understanding of the philosopher and polis and what is required in order to envision and potentially establish a just and virtuously functioning city, what we find in three of Plato's dialogues might be classified as an "idealized" state and practice of politics in the Republic, a "paradigmatic" political model in the Statesman, and a "philosophical-propaedeutic" view of politics in the Alcibiades I. The problems associated with fully reconciling Socrates' practice of philosophy with politics are explored by Charles Griswold who claims that scholars searching for such a reconciliation often mistakenly do so by offering readings that suggest a legitimate "blueprint" for politics can be found in and drawn from the dialogues. There are also readings, he points out, that issue warnings against attempting to enact such a blueprint. Such approaches expose the difficulty or even impossibility of demanding that Socratic philosophy rise to the level of instituting a praxis of politikē, and so caution should be exercised when dealing with this issue, and it is essential that interpreters embrace the literary or dialogic dimension of the portrayal of Socratic philosophy in the dialogues. This so-called "dramatic-philosophical" dimension, as Griswold contends, breaks open a "horizon for reflection on ethics as well as politics," and in doing so, allows us to approach these issues in a more authentically Socratic manner, namely, "as open to question." Contrary to viewing this issue in terms of an "open question," J. A. Corlett argues that scholars seeking a consistent and cohesive view of Socratic politics often focus on the seeming inconsistency between Socrates' claims in the Apology regarding his disobeying the law insofar as it is unjust and potentially harmful to the life of a philosopher and Socrates' bold support of an individual's legal obligation in the Crito. Corlett finds no such contradiction to exist, and he argues against what he claims is the false assumption that the Crito espouses a Kantian or deontological conception of the laws and then portrays Socrates' unquestioned duty to them, whether or not the laws and the political institutions establishing them are corrupt and unjust. Corlett convincingly shows that it is Plato's creative/literary portrayal of the laws/nomoi that represents an authoritarian view, which is to say that it is the personified laws that express the conviction that it would be unethical and unjust to "disobey the legal authority of even a wrongful conviction." But this is not Socrates' position.
This short essay is focused on gleaning Heideggerian implications (intimations) from the comparat... more This short essay is focused on gleaning Heideggerian implications (intimations) from the comparative anthropology of the French historian-classicist Marcel Detienne.
2022 edited collection of essays by Prof. Aaron Zimmerman focused on problematizing the professio... more 2022 edited collection of essays by Prof. Aaron Zimmerman focused on problematizing the profession of teaching from an existential perspective.
The holy (Being-as-the-holy) is a distinctive theme in Heidegger's work that is perhaps well-know... more The holy (Being-as-the-holy) is a distinctive theme in Heidegger's work that is perhaps well-known to readers, yet not attended to sufficiently in contemporary Heidegger studies. The essays in this volume, authored by an international group of scholars, offer readers an opportunity to consider the many dimensions and possibilities of the notion of "the holy" (das Heilige) in his thinking. The authors in this volume document the multiple texts and contexts of Heidegger's discussions of the holy, and they offer detailed readings and their own particular interpretations and applications. The chapters, taken together, make a significant contribution not only to Heidegger scholarship but also to our understanding of our fundamental human situation in relation to Being-as-the holy.
This book develops for the readers Plato's Socrates' non-formalized "philosophical practice" of l... more This book develops for the readers Plato's Socrates' non-formalized "philosophical practice" of learning-through-questioning in the company of others. In doing so, the writer confronts Plato's Socrates, in the words of John Dewey, as the "dramatic, restless, cooperatively inquiring philosopher" of the dialogues, whose view of education and learning is unique: (1) It is focused on actively pursuing a form of philosophical understanding irreducible to truth of a propositional nature, which defies "transfer" from practitioner to pupil; (2) It embraces the perennial "on-the-wayness" of education and learning in that to interrogate the virtues, or the "good life," through the practice of the dialectic, is to continually renew the quest for a deeper understanding of things by returning to, reevaluating and modifying the questions originally posed regarding the "good life." Indeed Socratic philosophy is a life of questioning those aspects of existence that are most question-worthy; and (3) It accepts that learning is a process guided and structured by dialectic inquiry, and is already immanent within and possible only because of the unfolding of the process itself, i.e., learning is not a goal that somehow stands outside the dialectic as its end product, which indicates erroneously that the method or practice is disposable. For learning occurs only through continued, sustained communal dialogue. Reviews "Through a keen philosophical exegesis of Plato's Socrates and his teachings, Magrini addresses and attempts to correct the problematic and long-standing doctrinal interpretation of the Socratic "method." In doing so, Magrini brings back to life Socrates' original pedagogical vision and resuscitates education's long-deceased concern for the being of its students. This text is a touchstone for all educators concerned with the ethical and ontological disposition of their students." ~ Dr. Matthew D. Dewar-Author of Education and Well-Being: An Ontological Inquiry "With Plato's Socrates: Philosophy and Education, James M. Magrini has succeeded in writing a book that reflects his in-depth knowledge of Plato's philosophy and how Plato's Socrates is important for thinking through the present day educational situation. By adopting a non-doctrinal perspective in his reinterpretation of Plato, Magrini's book speaks to students and educators who are looking for new ways to engage with the Socratic method of learning-through-questioning. Magrini is thorough, succinct, and scholarly in his analyses, and he provides a critical and refreshing view on modern education. This is an excellent book." ~ Elias Schwieler, Associate Professor of Education, Stockholm University, Sweden "The relative absence of philosophical questioning in schools is not only an intellectual and pedagogical problem; it poses risks and consequences for our broader society. To help combat this problem, James M. Magrini argues that we should appropriate Plato's
This is a promotion for my upcoming Routledge book - it features the "preface" to give potential ... more This is a promotion for my upcoming Routledge book - it features the "preface" to give potential readers an overview of the eco-phenomenological approach I take within the text.
Distinct among contemporary philosophical studies focused on education, this book engages the his... more Distinct among contemporary philosophical studies focused on education, this book engages the history of phenomenological thought as it moves from philosophy proper (the European phenomenological-hermeneutic tradition) through curriculum studies. It thus presents the "best of both worlds" for the reader; there is a "play" or movement from philosophy proper to educational philosophy and then back again in order to locate and explicate what is intimated, suggested, and in some cases, left "unsaid" by educational philosophers. This amounts to a work on education-philosophy that elucidates, through various permutations within the unique foci of each essay, the general phenomenological theme of the fundamental ontology of the human being as primordial learner. Reflecting his experience as scholar, teacher, and perennial learner, the author suggests how research in phenomenology might prove beneficial to the enhancement of both the theoretical and practical aspects of education; readers are invited to envision education as far more than merely a means by which to organize an effective learning experience in which knowledge is assimilated and skill sets are efficiently imparted, but rather as a holistic and integrated process in which knowing, acting, and valuing are original ways of Being-in-the-world.
The scholarship of New Directions in Curriculum as Phenomenological Text manifests through close ... more The scholarship of New Directions in Curriculum as Phenomenological Text manifests through close readings and interpretations of curriculum theorists and Continental philosophers, presented in the form of 'speculative philosophical essays,' an important form of curriculum thinking-writing all but lost to the general contemporary field of research.
Description: Offering new and original readings of literature, poetry, and education as interpret... more Description: Offering new and original readings of literature, poetry, and education as interpreted through the conceptual lens of Heidegger's later philosophy of the "Turn", this book helps readers understand Heidegger's later thought and presents new takes on how to engage the themes that emerged from his later writing. Suggesting novel ways to consider Heidegger's ideas on literature, poetry, and education, Magrini and Schwieler provide a deep understanding of the "Turn," a topic not often explored in contemporary Heideggerian scholarship. Their inter-and extra-disciplinary postmodern approaches offer a nuanced examination, taking into account Heidegger's controversial place in history, and filling a gap in educational research.
This is a recent college conference - "Writing on the Edge" - presentation that takes graduate d... more This is a recent college conference - "Writing on the Edge" - presentation that takes graduate doctoral students and new academics, in great detail, through the process of submitting their work for publication that works across disciplines. It includes all types of scholarly publishing along with presenting a succinct step-by-step guide to follow to get your work published immediately.
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Papers by james M magrini
(New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)
https://www.ncis.org/the-independent-scholar/tis
(New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)
https://www.ncis.org/the-independent-scholar/tis