Pekaresque Adventures: Aesthetics and Identity in American Splendor

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. When considering the ontological status of the comic book, it was once natural to think of superheroes battling all-powerful villains, Archie and Jughead battling wits with Principal Weatherbee, or Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig battling Elmer J. Fudd in the forest. In short, the assumption was that comic books were kids‘ stuff, and not to be taken seriously by world-weary adults. Much has changed in the last 20 or so years, with the rise of the so-called graphic novel, but many of these – including such seminal works as Frank Miller‘s The Dark Knight, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons‘ Watchmen, and Ed Kramer and Neil Gaiman‘s The Sandman – still deal with superheroes, albeit in complex and ethically shaded ways. While it is the case that the comic book field has primarily dwelt in the world of fantasy, there has always been a strong regard for realism as well, detailing the everyday adventures of ordinary individuals. Examples of this can be found in the works of Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, and Frank King. This realistic strain is perhaps best exemplified today by Harvey Pekar‘s magnum opus, American Splendor

Michael Costanzo, A Genuine Mentor

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. Where the priests feed the flock committed to them both by their word and by their example the people are preserved from many errors. From Defense of the Catholic Priesthood by St. John Fisher (1525; translated by Philip Hallet, 1934) Father Michael Costanzo was a man who wore his learning lightly. He was constantly reading and reflecting. I had many fascinating conversations with him over the years regarding his views on such figures as Edith Stein, Vincent Van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Simone Weil, all of whose complete works he had immersed himself in. He was eager to share what he had learned from them, and encouraged me to read them as well

Irving Singer (1925-2015)

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. The noted philosopher and Santayana scholar Irving Singer, author of the magisterial three-volume work The Nature of Love, died on February 1, 2015, aged 89. Singer was born in Brooklyn on December 24, 1925, and served in World War II. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in 1948, under the G.I. Bill. The following year he wed Josephine Fisk, an opera singer with whom he had four children. They spent a year at Oxford (1949-1950), during which time Singer read The Last Puritan and in 1950 took a trip to Italy to meet its author. This is related in detail in the delightful article \u27A Pilgrimage to Santayana,\u27 which can be found in Singer’s 2000 book George Santayana, Literary Philosopher, an essential work for anyone interested in the life and thought of Santayana. Graduating with a PhD in philosophy from Harvard in 1952, Singer taught at Harvard, Cornell, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins before joining MIT in 1958, where he was to remain for over half a century, retiring from there in 2013. Over his long and distinguished career, Singer wrote numerous articles and 21 books, devoted to such diverse topics as aesthetics, creativity, film, literature, music, and moral philosophy. He combined the rigorous approach of analytic philosophy with the experimental technique of pragmatism. In addition to the Nature of Love trilogy, other titles include Modes of Creativity: Philosophical Perspectives; Mozart and Beethoven: The Concept of Love in Their Operas; Cinematic Mythmaking: Philosophy in Film; Ingmar Berman: Cinematic Philosopher; Santayana’s Aesthetics: A Critical Analysis, and the aforementioned George Santayana: Literary Philosopher. The MIT Press has honored his work by initiating \u27The Irving Singer Library,\u27 which has republished many of his books. At the time of his death, Singer was working on a manuscript entitled Creativity in the Brain. A more detailed description of Singer’s many works and awards can be found on the MIT website: http://web.mit/edu/philosophy/singer.html Singer was predeceased by his wife Josephine, who died in 2014. They had been wed for 65 years. He called her his semicollaborator, and joked that \u27I write in bed, where I am comfortable, and dictate to my wife. She often disagrees with what I say, and we’ll discuss it, and sometimes I incorporate her ideas.\u2

A Philosopher in the Locker Room: Sportsmanship and the Honorary Coach Program at St. John Fisher College

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. In a recent ad for Under Armour sneakers, the actor Jamie Foxx intones the following: “You know, the Greek philosopher Aristotle said ‘You are what you repeatedly do.’ Huh – but in our book, we take it a little deeper. We say, ‘You are what you repeatedly do when things get hard’” (Under Armour 2015). Foxx goes on to say, “My apologies to Aristotle, but excellence doesn’t become a habit by running the same path over and over. No, No, No! You know what the excellent ones do? They reinvent the rules altogether. The excellent ones just step up to the line and ask ‘What’s the record?’” (Under Armour 2015)

Saint John Fisher Is Irish

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. St. John Fisher College has just launched an Irish Studies Program, of which I have been named the first Director. In conjunction with this, I have endeavored to find out as many Irish-related connections that already exist (such as courses presently being offered relating to Irish culture, history and literature), and also what future projects might be feasible for the program, including study abroad possibilities for students and faculty exchanges. Imagine my joy when I learned that the namesake of our college is himself a good Irishman

St. John Fisher in Galway

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. I am sending this article to Verbum from my apartment in Galway, Ireland, overlooking the beautiful Corrib River. Tomorrow I head to Dublin to celebrate the long St. Patrick’s Day weekend. I am over in Ireland for the Spring semester with nine intrepid St. John Fisher College students: Catherine Cunningham, Aidan Evans, Chelsea Marshall, Maggie Martin, Erin Mosher, André Remillard, Katlin Shippy, Brittany Sidari, and Sierra Stuckey. Together with 10 students from Hobart & William Smith Colleges, we have all traveled throughout the island, experiencing Ireland in all its glory in a first-hand way

Developing One\u27s Character: An Aristotelian Defense of Sportsmanship

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. While he lived long ago, the ethical writings of the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) still have relevance to the present day, particularly when we try to understand the meaning of the term “sportsmanship.” For Aristotle, the purpose of ethical training was to help human beings achieve personal excellence, what he called “eudaimonia” or “self-fulfillment.” Since we are by nature social animals, such fulfillment can only occur within a communal setting. One judges an individual by the way in which that individual excels, and one judges a community by the role models it holds up as type of citizens who best express that community’s ideals. Personal excellence, therefore, is intricately connected to engaging in social activities. Sport can provide the means for testing one’s own abilities through cooperative team activities against worthy opponents, with the support of a community to inspire one to achieve one’s best. To win by cheating, or by disparaging an opponent’s abilities, or by excessive violent acts, would not be a mark of a worthy character. This theory is known as “virtue ethics” and the concept of good sportsmanship is at its very heart

What was Sherlock Holmes\u27 Alma Mater? Elementary: St. John Fisher College

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. As the recent Robert Downey, Jr. movie has clearly demonstrated, interest in all things relating to Sherlock Holmes remains strong. This is just as true at St. John Fisher College as anywhere else, where the immortal detective stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are taught in literature courses by Lisa Jadwin of the Department of English, and where Holmes‘ skills at deduction are discussed in philosopher David White‘s Basic Logic classes. Several other professors, including Donald Muench and Gerry Wildenberg in Mathematics, and Charles Natoli and yours truly in Philosophy, as well as alums such as Ray Ruff, also have an avid interest in the Great Detective. Indeed, we belong to the local Baker Street Irregulars chapter, Rochester Row, ably overseen by its leader, or ―Gasogene‖, Lewis Neisner, who guides us through our bimonthly gatherings

O Captain My Captain

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. One of my earliest memories involving empathy occurred when I was in seventh grade. Our English teacher had required us to read the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, about a group of British schoolboys trapped on a desert island together. I found the story to be deeply disturbing. The character of Jack, the cruel young boy who figures out the various weaknesses of his fellow castaways and takes advantage of them, was especially memorable. His was a kind of negative empathy – the ability to “get inside” others in order to find out their fears, and thereby gain control over them by threatening them with this knowledge

The Spirit of Counseling: A Comparison of “Gloria” and A Christmas Carol

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. Ebenezer Scrooge’s example may be unique in Dickens’ work: the story’s motivation is the regeneration of a single lost soul . . . This change of life is not as sudden (as Chesterton said) “as the conversion of a man at a Salvation Army”; the process as presented in Dickens’ narrative is precise and subtle, playing on the man’s deeper repressed feelings aroused from a recollection of his former self, an education through the example of his clerk and nephew, and a warning of what his fate will be should he follow the same path in his life.