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Liberal Democracies buttressed by Illiberal Forces: a Social Imaginary
“what is meant by individual freedom is hotly contested and not just a brute fact. It must be nurtured and grown. This is how I experience my moment of bliss over bacon and eggs. This emerging freedom is a profoundly different social imaginary than the one on offer by liberal democracy.” Continue reading
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Constitutive Work, Recognition, and Why Hannah Arendt Matters
Going through a layoff can be devastating. When I got laid off from a Christian University that had been struggling financially (typical of such post-secondary institutions in the 2000s), I needed to come to the deep logic which eliminated me from the equation. After all, I was in my early 50’s, and I had thought Continue reading
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Charles Taylor: New Dimensions of Experience
Taylor not only provides a language and framework that can articulate the deep senses of meaning we long for, but he also identifies many of the forces that are at work in our lives. Continue reading
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Rosie
I hope, at some point, a kind stranger will be a safe light in the middle of the night for my youngest. Continue reading
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My Tribe
My Tribe Let me be clear, I don’t come from a tribal society. We know that being tribal is bad and being multicultural is good, don’t we? Yet when I write that, I am not so sure. I guess I’d like to say I don’t have a tribal heritage, but, on the other hand, it Continue reading
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“Human Capital” is Deficient: the OECD, European Football, and Human Fulfillment
When I say human capital is deficient, I do not refer to wasted productive potential; instead, I refer to a distorted understanding of the relationship between individuals and their advanced industrial environments. Continue reading
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A Polluted Existence
Technology transforms an individual human into a mass person, whose only function is to enter anonymously into production and consumption. On the one side, she is the biological link between machines; on the other side, she is the digestive system through which the products of the technological world pass. Continue reading
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The Neurodivergent Advantage… and Challenge
Neurodiversity is not a challenge to overcome; it’s a strength to harness. When organizations consciously create and support diverse climates, everyone benefits. Continue reading
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Prayer and Meditation
The spiritual without being religious people, these new practitioners of meditation, claim a connection to the spiritual life by doing nothing, least of all, praying. But, meditation without prayer is not actually meditative. Continue reading
About me: I am a career educator and traveler at heart. My written work includes academic writing in philosophy and linguistics, English acquisition, and most intently in the areas of spiritual engagement with reality and what that means for our public lives.
My education is a mixture of formal study in philosophy, political theory, Biblical studies, and history, along with professional teaching certification in TESOL and in cognitive testing, and international teaching.
My travel experiences include a range of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. I have lived in Canada, the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand. From those places I have traveled to many others besides.
I am a child of the 70’s and a “family man.” That means I have two wonderful kids who have been round the world with me.
Lastly, I am married to a wonderful woman since 2004. She is my partner, my friend, and my muse.
Thanks again for stopping by,
Raymond Klassen - Ideals and Identities 