There are enough articles on this site to fill two books, so it can sometimes be daunting to know where to start. Below are what many consider to be my greatest hits, the articles that have been the most popular, the most shared, or had the greatest effect on readers lives.

Ive listed the best 5-6 posts in four different categories below: Self Improvement, Life Choices, Dating and Relationships, and Culture.

You can also sign up for my newsletter below and get a free ebook, 3 Ideas That Can Change Your Life. I send out occasional updates with new articles and stuff Im working on. Your information is protected and I never spam.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck The most popular article on the site. And for good reason.

The Most Important Question of Your Life Best post to start with to understand the underlying philosophy of my work.

Stop Trying to Be Happy Why pursuing happiness just pushes it further away from you and how to get around this problem.

In Defense of Being Average A much-needed defense of the unexceptional which is pretty much all of us.

Screw Finding Your Passion You already know what you love to do. Youve just forgotten how to do it.

The Four Stages of Life The phases of life that we all travel through and how they define who we are.

10 Life Lessons to Excel In Your 30s A crowd-sourced article from my older readers on what they all wish they knew when they were 30-years-old.

10 Life Lessons I Learned From Surviving My 20s A look back right before my 30th birthday on all of the life lessons I learned in my 20s.

7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose A fun, yet serious, look at how we can derive more meaning and importance from our lives.

How to Quit Your Day Job and Travel the World How to leverage your terror of going broke to achieving greater success and autonomy.

No, You Cant Have it All A realistic look at the necessity of choosing what to give up in our lives.

Fuck Yes or No The most important rule of dating and relationships. Everyone must understand this.

Love is Not Enough Why we idealize love, make it something more than it is, and how that ruins many of our relationships.

1,500 People Give All the Relationship Advice Youll Ever Need A crowd-sourced article with advice from people who have been in relationships for a long time.

Maybe You Dont Know What Love Is A sober look at what love often is and what it should be.

6 Toxic Relationship Habits Most People Think Are Normal Find out if what you think is normal romantic behavior is actually harming your relationship.

6 Healthy Relationship Habits Most People Think Are Toxic The follow up to the above article describing what you should be doing, but probably are not doing.

10 Things Americans Dont Know About America Viral internet sensation. My perspectives on the US after spending four years outside of it.

In the Future, Your Attention Will Be Sold My take on new technologies and how theyre not necessarily ruining society, just our attention spans.

The American Dream Is Killing Us Some commentary on why I think the American Dream isnt just dead, its actually being used against us.

A Dust Over India A raw look at some of the more jarring experiences I had on my trip to India.

5 Life Lessons from 5 Years Traveling the World I spent five years traveling around the world to more than 50 countries. This is what I learned.

How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings An article written in response to the UCSB shootings in May 2014, but also covering numerous other shootings throughout North America and what they actually mean about our society and culture.

See original here:
Best Articles: 20 Articles That Can Change Your Life ...

When a baby is born, he is extremely simple, not complicated, real, sincere, in complete harmony with Nature and with the Cosmic Order.

The subconscious mind of a baby takes very little space in his life as he is connected to the Universe.

As we grow older, the subconscious mind grows bigger and takes more and more space into our life.

With time, the subconscious mind becomes the real you. It is composed of beliefs, fears, and attitudes that interfere with everyday life and that pushes us away from happiness our original nature.

The subconscious mind is a defense mechanism created and maintained by the ego. Its highest priority is to keep us emotionally safe. It spends most of its energy protecting our feelings and keeping us out of emotional pain and discomfort.

Do not underestimate the subconscious mind. It is stronger than the conscious mind, even stronger that the will.

As we grow older and forget our connection with the Cosmos, the subconscious mind becomes the core of who we are; it becomes the center of our personality.

During meditation, the subconscious mind comes to the surface, and we can observe it.

Through the practice of Zazen, with time, the subconscious mind diminishes, decrease and unite with the conscious mind so that in the end its us, its our existence here and now, that dominates, and not our subconscious.

- Fuyu

More on Zen:www.zen-buddhism.net

Originally posted here:
Zen Buddhism - Home | Facebook

On a personal level I read your book about 3 years ago and it had a huge positive impact on my life. I re-read your book at least twice a year.My job is to develop managers and I run a 6-month development programme. Attitude is Everything is required reading for all participants and the feedback from the 44 people who have completed this programme isWOW! The improvement in them as individuals has been noted back in their branches across the UK to the extent that I have been asked for copies of the book for Area Managers and Regional Directors. It has had such an impact upon one region within our business that they are rolling your messages out to all of their staff in the next 4 months. Thank you for such an inspirational book.

Chris ChinnManagement Development ManagerVanguard Rental (UK) Ltd.

I just finished your book and it has changed my life already. I have been set on fire by your words! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I now know how I can get everything I want and achieve every goal I have set for myself. Nothing is daunting any more - I have no fear. Only drive, ambition and an attitude that I will infect every other person I come into contact with. Thanks again. I'm off now to achieve my dreams!

Lorraine Sharpe

Your book, Attitude is Everything, has made the greatest impact on my life. Your words have helped me to change from a negative, cynical, victim mentality, 'woe is me' lifestyle into a new person. I have lost count of the number of times I have read it. I have decided to start my own business. This, I owe all to your book. I have more energy, more control over my life and I'm infinitely happier. Thank you for your life-changing book.

Peter Irlam

I recently read your book "Attitude is Everything" and I can say with an absolute sincerity that your book is number one in my personal library. No doubt I shall be promoting your book to all my friends, as it's not right to deprive them of something that will change their lives for the better.

Petya Collins

Your book is a tonic for mental, emotional, physical and spiritual prosperity. You give real life example after example of what works. I also enjoy that you don't rehash the same old stories but you take the lead in discovering new examples of inspiration. Attitude is Everything is a Mark McGwire home run in the motivational field.

Jack E. McClendon, Jr.

Your book gave me the confidence to achieve much more than I thought possible. Your insights gave me the strength I needed to keep moving forward. Now, I have been promoted twice, with raises I thought would never come. I am now the "motivator" for my team, and we are achieving so much. Thank you, Jeff!

Kim Palaza

After having read your book, Attitude is Everything, I must thank you! It is a gift to anyone who wants more... a better career, a better relationship, a better life. Every word makes so much sense, yet most of us go on with our lives without ever really knowing how much potential we have. After reading your book for the first time (of the many times I plan to) I have come away with the veil once again lifted from my eyes by your words. I feel like I can move toward embodying the principles you have so eloquently presented.

Lisa Moschitta

Attitude is Everything has helped me to hone in on positive thought and motivational techniques related to my career and interpersonal relationships. Now, before reacting to any situation, I consciously choose a positive response -- what a difference it makes! I am more confident when dealing with a negative situation by applying Jeff's easily understood, user-friendly techniques. The best part is I was able to put these ideas to work immediately!

Natalie Tedone

I just finished your book and loved it. It is simple with practical tips for changing your attitude. What was most inspirational was your own personal journey. I'm going to give this book as Christmas presents. The world needs your message.

Diane DiRestaAuthor, Knockout Presentations

I recently finished reading your book, Attitude is Everything. I have to say that I am very impressed. When you first hear about a book on the topic of attitude, you think there's going to be a lot of hype and "rah-rah" stuff. That wasn't the case here. Rather, you provided plenty of specific and practical tips for success. Reading your suggestions made a positive impact on my business. Jeff, what also impressed me is your sincerity. I can tell that you not only believe what you're saying, but that you've applied all of these principles in your own life. Thanks again for putting together this fine book.

Stuart Kamen Kamen Communications

After reading your informative book, I have one thing to say -- that everyone who hasn't read it....should! Most of us can relate to your experiences. You need to enjoy what you're doing to become successful. I am a perfect example. I myself found after many years a creative talent that I did not know I had. As you explain so well in your book, Attitude is Everything!

Anna Carusos

Attitude is Everything has helped me to become a better sales professional by always thinking in a positive manner and being aware of how I am perceived by my clients. I often refer to the book to keep me "on my toes" and always aware of my attitude not only in my professional life, but in my personal life as well. This book reinforces how your attitude affects others as well as the outcome of any situation.

Fran GrazioseDiamond Promotions, Inc.

Having read many motivational books, I found Jeff's ideas fresh and inspiring. This book is useful not only for salespeople, but for anyone wishing to make positive changes in their lives.

David D'Agostino

Just thought I'd tell you how much I enjoyed your book, Attitude is Everything. It has energy as well as attitude, and I thought it was great. I cover attitude in my career counseling workshop, so I'll pass on to them the benefits I received from reading your book!

Fiona Young

Anyone can learn from Jeff's twelve easy lessons immediately. Keep this book at your fingertips. When you occasionally need a little attitude adjustment, open it anywhere, and a valuable quote or phrase will jump off the page right into your heart and soul.

Julie Salgo

Your book is fantastic and I really enjoyed it -- from beginning to end. The 12 lessons in this book can change and enrich millions of lives. I recommend this book to all. After all, attitude is everything!

Viola George

Referring to this book often is helping me nip negative thoughts in the bud, and is having a direct effect on the increasing lack of negativity in my words. I am already beginning to benefit from the effect this change in my thinking and speaking is having on my actions, both personally and professionally.

George Hahn

Every page of Attitude is Everything reminded me of so many thoughts I've considered over so many years but rarely acted upon. Your words opened a very important door to the start of many talks with myself. Thanks, Jeff, for your reinforcement, your inspiration, your candor and your truthful words that "Attitude is Everything!"

Marilyn Kass Marilyn Kass & Assoc. Inc.

There is no shortage of motivational books on the market. But what sets Attitude is Everything apart from the crowd is Jeff Keller's unique ability to tackle the real issues on the minds of today's business professionals, and to offer practical, substantive ideas for conquering these issues. In my mind, nobody else comes close to delivering the goods like Jeff Keller.

Art Siegel, PublisherSalesDoctors Magazine

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Attitude Is Everything

The increased stress of competitions can cause athletes to react both physically and mentally in a manner that can negatively affect their performance abilities. They may become tense, their heart rates race, they break into a cold sweat, they worry about the outcome of the competition, they find it hard to concentrate on the task at hand.

This has led coaches to take an increasing interest in the field of sports psychology and in particular in the area of competitive anxiety. That interest has focused on techniques that athletes can use in the competitive situation to maintain control and optimise their performance. Once learned, these techniques allow the athlete to relax and to focus his/her attention in a positive manner on the task of preparing for and participating in the competition. Psychology is another weapon in the athlete's armoury in gaining the winning edge.

Concentration, confidence, control and commitment (the 4C's) are generally considered the main mental qualities that are important for successful performance in most sports.

The techniques of relaxation, centering and mental imagery can assist an athlete to achieve the 4C's.

This is the mental quality to focus on the task at hand. If the athlete lacks concentration, then their athletic abilities will not be effectively or efficiently applied to the task. Research has identified the following types of attention focus:

The demand for concentration varies with the sport:

Common distractions are anxiety, mistakes, fatigue, weather, public announcements, coach, manager, opponent, negative thoughts etc.

Strategies to improve concentration are very personal. One way to maintain focus is to set process goals for each session or competition. The athlete will have an overall goal for which the athlete will identify a number of process goals that help focus on specific aspects of the task. For each of these goals, the athlete can use a trigger word (a word which instantly refocuses the athlete's concentration to the goal) e.g. sprinting technique requires the athlete to focus on being tall, relaxed, smooth and to drive with the elbows - trigger word could be "technique"

Athletes will develop a routine for competition that may include the night before, the morning, pre-competition, competition and post-competition routines. If these routines are appropriately structured, then they can prove a useful aid to concentration.

Confidence results from the comparison an athlete makes between the goal and their ability. The athlete will have self-confidence if they believe they can achieve their goal. (Comes back to a quote of mine - "You only achieve what you believe").

When an athlete has self-confidence they will tend to: persevere even when things are not going to plan, show enthusiasm, be positive in their approach and take their share of the responsibility in success and fail.

To improve their self-confidence, an athlete can use mental imagery to:

Good goal setting (challenging yet realistic) can bring feelings of success. If athletes can see that they are achieving their short-term goals and moving towards their long-term goals, then confidence grows.

Confidence is a positive state of mind and a belief that you can meet the challenge ahead - a feeling of being in control. It is not the situation that directly affects confidence; thoughts, assumptions and expectations can build or destroy confidence.

High self-confidence

Low self-confidence

Identifying when an athlete feels a particular emotion and understanding the reason for the feelings is an important stage of helping an athlete gain emotional control. An athlete's ability to maintain control of their emotions in the face of adversity and remain positive is essential to successful performance. Two emotions that are often associated with poor performance are anxiety and anger.

Anxiety comes in two forms - Physical (butterflies, sweating, nausea, needing the toilet) and Mental (worry, negative thoughts, confusion, lack of concentration). Relaxation is a technique that can be used to reduce anxiety.

When an athlete becomes angry, the cause of the anger often becomes the focus of attention. This then leads to a lack of concentration on the task, performance deteriorates and confidence in ability is lost which fuels the anger - a slippery slope to failure.

Sports performance depends on the athlete being fully committed to numerous goals over many years. In competition with these goals, the athlete will have many aspects of daily life to manage. The many competing interests and commitments include work, studies, family/partner, friends, social life and other hobbies/sports

Within the athlete's sport, commitment can be undermined by:

Setting goals with the athlete will raise their feelings of value, give them joint ownership of the goals and therefore become more committed to achieving them. All goals should be SMARTER.

Many people (coach, medical support team, manager, friends, etc) can contribute to an athlete's levels of commitment with appropriate levels of support and positive feedback, especially during times of injury, illness and poor performance.

The following are emotional states experienced with successful performance:

Psychology skills training for the athlete should aim to improve their mental skills, such as self-confidence, motivation, the ability to relax under great pressure, and the ability to concentrate and usually has three phases:

The following references provide additional information on this topic:

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

The following Sports Coach pages provide additional information on this topic:

Continued here:
Sports Psychology - BrianMac

21 January 2019

TheNuffield Foundation has awarded funding to Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) to investigate the feasibility of a new mathematics GCSE curriculum for post-16 resit students.

The aim of this new project is to start a fresh consideration of appropriate mathematical content and qualifications for GCSE resit students, in line with the recommendations of the Smith review. It is hoped this will improve outcomes for young people, and the wider population, by improving knowledge of, and attitudes towards, mathematics.

In England, young people aged 16-18 who have not achieved grade 4 or higher in GCSE Mathematics are required to continue to work towards achieving it. Those studying full-time who achieved grade 3 are required to resit it, which often results in young people lacking confidence in mathematics and the prospect of more of the same can be very de-motivating. The resit success rate is also very low. Over 170,000 young people resat GCSE Mathematics in the summer of 2018, but only 23.7% achieved at least a grade 4 or equivalent. As a result, many young people do not achieve their full potential and can be left with a lasting sense of failure and a reinforced negative attitude towards mathematics. This may prevent them from engaging with learning and using mathematics in the future.

The standard GCSE Mathematics curriculum, which is designed for 14-16 year olds, attempts to do two things: prepare students for further academic study of mathematics, and develop the knowledge and skills to apply mathematics to practical problems encountered in the workplace and other aspects of life. Most resit students need to focus on the latter.

The project will report towards the end of 2019.

Josh Hillman, Director of Education at the Nuffield Foundation, said:

Performance in GCSE maths has both immediate and long-term impact on the education, training and employment trajectories of 16 year olds. Previous Nuffield Foundation funded research has found that students past experiences mean they lack both motivation and confidence when required to retake their maths GCSE, and the resit success rate remains stubbornly low. This feasibility study responds to the Smith Review recommendation that current maths qualifications could and should be reformed to increase the proportion of 18-year-olds with a good understanding of maths. We are pleased to support this new study which aims to develop much needed curriculum options in post-16 maths.

Charlie Stripp, Chief Executive of MEI, said:

Re-sitting a GCSE Mathematics qualification designed for 16 year olds does not meet the mathematical needs of the large majority of students who do not succeed in maths at age 16. These students need a different post-16 GCSE maths curriculum that can motivate them to develop fluency and confidence in the fundamental maths skills they need for everyday life and employment. MEI is delighted that the Nuffield Foundation has agreed to support our work to try to develop such a curriculum.

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A new mathematics GCSE curriculum for post-16 resit ...

Was the Jesuit priest and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin really a racist, fascist, and even genocidal opponent of human dignity? I had thought that, at least among educated Catholics, this question was almost dead, and that holdout pockets of hostility might be vanishing for good, especially after several recent popes admiringly cited Teilhards cosmic vision for its theological beauty and Eucharistic power.

But my optimism was premature. In a December 2016 article in Philosophy and Theology titled Dangerous Tendencies of Cosmic Theology: The Untold Legacy of Teilhard de Chardin, John Slattery writes that from the 1920s until his death in 1955, Teilhard de Chardin unequivocally supported racist eugenic practices, praised the possibilities of the Nazi experiments, and looked down upon those who [sic] he deemed imperfect humans. Slattery, a recent graduate of Notre Dames Department of Theology, claims that a persistent attraction to racism, fascism, and genocidal ideas explicitly lay the groundwork for Teilhards famous cosmological theology. This, he informs us, is a link which has been largely ignored in Teilhardian research.

A more recent article by the same critic in Religion Dispatches (May 2018) is entitled Pierre Teilhard de Chardins Legacy of Eugenics and Racism Cant Be Ignored. In it, Slattery hangs his case on eight stray citations from Teilhards letters and other scattered writings. Most of the quotes present what were speculative inquiries on the part of Teilhardquestions that countless other thoughtful people have asked, including many Catholicsrather than systematically developed theses for public consumption. Their style is provocative and interrogatory, not declarative. Exactly what Teilhard really meant by them is, in every single case, highly debatable.

And yet Slattery holds these excerpts out to us as undeniable evidence that Teilhards true legacy is one of hostility to Catholic affirmation of human dignity, racial justice, and concern for the disadvantaged. Still more important, however, is Slatterys claim that it was Teilhards commitment to these evils that grounds and undergirds his cosmological theology. Nothing could be more preposterous.

Slattery doesnt deny that the bulk of Teilhards religious writings are uncontroversially Christian and in tune with Catholic teaching. Yet he ignores this fact in defining what he calls Teilhards legacy. Though he surely knows that most readers will be unfamiliar with the man and his thought, he has decided to expose them first to what he considers Teilhards most sinister side. In the process he takes a thimbleful of quotes out of context, posts them on a blank background, and says nothing substantive about the remaining 99.9 percent of Teilhards work. Failing to take into account the general architecture of Teilhards thought always leads to the kinds of exaggeration and distortion that Slattery commits.

He begins by reciting the best-known of Teilhards treasurable remarks: If humanity ever captures the energy of love, it will be the second time in history that we have discovered fire. Noting that millions who tuned into the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle heard these lines recited in a moving sermon by Episcopal Bishop Michael Bruce Curry, Slattery remarks that listeners who swooned over them were unaware of the poisonous roots of Teilhards religious worldview. He proceeds to reveal the rot he finds in a package of eight passages cherry-picked from Teilhards voluminous letters and writings. I shall condense the most offensive of these below, but I want to begin my response to Slattery by summarizing what other students of Teilhards work consider to be his real legacy. Only after becoming acquainted with his core ideas can we interpret rightly what Slattery finds so offensive in Teilhards work.

Seasoned Teilhard scholars are aware of the questionable remarks he points to; but the seeming offensiveness of such comments fades into the shadows when we read them in terms of the fundamental principles guiding Teilhards scientifically informed vision of the world and God. Here are four of these fundamental principles:

The universe (as science has demonstrated) is still coming into being. Hence the world is not yet perfected. Theologically, this means that creation remains unfinished, and that humans, who are part of this universe, may contribute significantly to its making. The opportunity to participate in building the earth is a cornerstone of human dignity. (It is also a teaching of Vatican II.) The fact that our creativity can sometimes lead to monstrous outcomes does not absolve us of the obligation to improve the world and ourselves. Taking advantage of this opportunity is sometimes dangerous, but it is also essential to sustaining hope and a zest for living, Teilhard maintains. Moreover, nothing clips the wings of hope more severely than the now obsolete theological idea that the universe was completed once and for all in the beginning, and that there is little or nothing we can do to make it new.

To create is to unite. The world comes into beingand becomes newby a process of unification. Scientifically understood, the emerging cosmos becomes intelligible only by gradually bringing increasingly more complex forms of coherence out of its primordial state of diffusion and atomic dispersal. As the universe in the course of time becomes more complex, it also becomes more conscious. Theologically, this principle is implied in Christian hope as summed up in Jesus prayer that all may be one and in the Pauline expectation that everything will be brought to a head in Christ, in whom all things consist. Teilhard stated explicitly that his whole theology of nature is consistent with the expectations of the Apostle Paul and the Fourth Evangelist: Lord make us one. His true legacy lies in his rich Christian sense of a universe converging on Christ and being brought into final union in what he called God-Omega.

True union differentiates. As the creative love of God brings increasing unity to the unfinished universe, it is Gods will that the diversity of creation increases as well, including the emergence of free and unique human persons. In Christ, God seeks to become continually more incarnate in the world not via an order imposed on it, but by a differentiating, liberating, and personalizing communion with it. Many distortions of Teilhards intentions, including Slatterys, stem from a failure to understand what Teilhard means by true union. As we shall see, to miss the deeply Christian motif of differentiating union in his writings is to do him grave injustice.

The world rests on the future as its sole support. As we follow the course of cosmic history from its remote past into the future, Teilhard observes, we discover a law of recurrence in which something new, more complex, and (eventually) more conscious has always been taking shape up ahead. Scientifically speaking, we now know that subatomic elements were organized around atomic nuclei; atoms were gathered into molecules; molecules into cells; and cells into complex organisms, some of which made the leap into thought. The most important kinds of emergence can occur, however, only if the elements allow themselves to be organized around a new and higher center, one that lifts them up to a more elaborately differentiated unity. To experience true union, true being, true goodness, and true beauty, therefore, we must allow ourselveslike Abraham, the prophets, and Jesusto be grasped by the Future.

See the rest here:
Trashing Teilhard | Commonweal Magazine

Bachelor of Science in Education/Early Childhood Education

The Bachelor of Arts in Education (BSED) with a specialization in Early Childhood Education is an undergraduate degree program preparing candidates for teacher licensure in the field of early childhood (birth to age eight/grade 3). The curriculum is aligned with the Interstate Teaching Assessment and Support Consortium's (InTASC) model core teaching standards and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards. The curriculum includes common core standards, child development and learning, building family and community relations, cultural diversity, assessment to support young children and families, strong content knowledge to build developmentally appropriate and meaningful curriculum and experiences, and professionalism and ethics of educators. Throughout the program, students are required to complete verified field experiences and student teaching.

The Bachelor of Science in Education/Early Childhood is an undergraduate degree program intended to prepare students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The program is designed for students who want to work with children from pre-K through grade 3 or age 8 as a licensed early childhood educator. The program includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and student teaching above and beyond program coursework. As licensure requirements may vary by state, it is the students responsibility to ascertain and meet licensure requirements in any state in which the student desires to practice and to contact the applicable state educator licensure agency to verify current requirements to become a licensed teacher. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a teacher with any local, state or federal entity.

The Bachelor of Science in Education/Elementary (BSEd-E) is an undergraduate degree program preparing candidates for teacher licensure. The guiding philosophy of the BSEd/E program is to provide students with the skills and knowledge that will allow them to become competent and effective educators. This program focuses on elementary student learning by developing the skills of the educator responsible for that learning. Student teaching is an integral component of the Teacher Education Program. It provides students with a field-based experience at the appropriate grade and content level. Student teachers work with a cooperating teacher from a school site and with a University of Phoenix faculty advisor. The student teaching experience is designed to emphasize the achievement of state standards leading to certification and to present individuals with growth opportunities that best prepare them to assume the duties of a certified classroom teacher. Throughout the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of verified field experiences, covering a variety of developmental levels. The focus of each observation will relate to specific course content.

The Bachelor of Science in Education/Elementary Education is an undergraduate degree program intended to prepare students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The program is designed for students who want to become elementary school teachers and includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and student teaching above and beyond program coursework. As licensure requirements may vary by state, it is the students responsibility to ascertain and meet licensure requirements in any state in which the student desires to practice and to contact the applicable state educator licensure agency to verify current requirements to become a licensed teacher. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a teacher with any local, state or federal entity.

The mission of the Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration program is to prepare education professionals who can address the multiple challenges facing higher education in a dynamic global community. The program prepares students to lead innovative, institutional policy changes and improvements within complex educational environments involving multiple stakeholders. The program addresses the diversity of higher education entities including public and private colleges and universities, governmental entities, accrediting and regulatory bodies, and higher education professional associations. The program emphasizes the discovery, integration and application of knowledge about higher education and leadership, promotes a commitment to professional integrity and development, the value of human diversity, innovative practice, and collaboration.

The Master of Arts in Education/Administration and Supervision program prepares candidates for principal licensure. The standards-based program is designed to provide principal candidates with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be successful school leaders who can apply theory to practice. The program encompasses instructional leadership, organizational management, technology management, and data-driven decision-making. An administrative internship is an integral component of the program, providing candidates with a field-based experience in the various aspects of school administration and supervision.

The Master of Arts in Education/Administration and Supervision is a graduate program intended to prepare candidates for K12 school principal licensure. Candidates for this program have already earned a bachelors degree. The program includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and an administrative internship above and beyond program coursework. As licensure requirements may vary by state, it is the students responsibility to ascertain and meet licensure requirements in any state in which the student desires to practice and to contact the applicable state educator licensure agency to verify current requirements to become a licensed school principal. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a principal with any local, state or federal entity.

The Master of Arts/Adult Education and Training (MAED/AET) program is designed for individuals interested in working with adult learners in areas such as corporate training, non-profit and community-based organizations, government, postsecondary education, and human services agencies. Learners develop competencies and expertise necessary to align education and training with strategic objectives and human services foundations across an enterprise with culturally diverse populations. Learners expand their knowledge in andragogical theory, instructional design and strategies, assessment of learning, delivering online learning, management and marketing, and technology integration. In addition, learners engage in practice through collaborative learning, social media, and community-based learning. Graduates will be able to serve adult students, colleagues, industries, and communities as expert educators and trainers.

The Master of Arts in Education/Adult Education and Training is a graduate degree program intended for students interested in working with adult learners in an educational or training environment. The MAED/AET does not prepare students for any type of professional certification or state licensure as a teacher. The program is only intended as an advanced degree.

The Master of Arts in Education program with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction is intended to afford P-12 educators the opportunity to enhance their curriculum, instruction, and leadership repertoire by expanding their knowledge of assessment, instructional strategies, integration of technology, professional development, data-driven decision making, and mentoring and coaching. Educators will develop teacher leadership skills by exploring the latest research, trends, and strategies. Graduates will be able to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders and serve their students, colleagues, and communities as ethical leaders committed to excellence.

The Master of Arts in Education/Curriculum and Instruction is a graduate degree program intended to provide educators with advanced knowledge and skills in curriculum and instruction. The MAED/CI does not prepare students for any type of professional certification or state licensure as a teacher. The program is only intended as an advanced degree.

The Master of Arts in Education/Elementary Teacher Education (MAED/TED-E) is a graduate degree program preparing candidates for initial teacher licensure. The guiding philosophy of the MAED/TED-E program is to provide the adult student, who already has a degree in a discipline other than education, with the knowledge, skills and dispositions that will allow him or her to become a competent and effective educator. This program focuses on elementary student learning by improving the educator's responsibility for that learning. Clinical Practice (student teaching) is an integral component of the Teacher Education Program. It provides students with a field-based experience at the appropriate grade and content level. Student teachers work with a cooperating teacher from a school site and with a University of Phoenix faculty advisor. The clinical practice is designed to emphasize the achievement of state standards leading to certification and to present individuals with growth opportunities that best prepare them to assume the duties of a certified classroom teacher. Throughout the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of verified clinical experiences covering a variety of developmental levels. The focus of each experience will relate to specific course content and professional preparation. Documentation will be maintained in the student's professional portfolio.

The Master of Arts in Education/Elementary Teacher Education is a graduate degree program intended for students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The program is designed for students who want to become elementary school teachers. Candidates for this program have already earned a bachelors degree. The program includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and student teaching above and beyond program coursework. As licensure requirements may vary by state, it is the students responsibility to ascertain and meet licensure requirements in any state in which the student desires to practice and to contact the applicable state educator licensure agency to verify current requirements to become a licensed teacher. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a teacher with any local, state or federal entity.

The Master of Arts in Education/Secondary Teacher Education (MAED/TED-S) is a graduate degree program preparing candidates for initial teacher licensure for instruction in secondary education. The guiding philosophy of the MAED/TED-S program is to provide adult students who already have degrees in disciplines other than education with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become competent and effective secondary educators. Rigorous course work, clinical experience, and clinical practice are integral components of this program. Candidates complete a minimum of 100 hours of verified field-based clinical experiences at appropriate grades and content levels to prepare them for a culminating clinical practice as a student teacher. During their clinical practice (student teaching), candidates work with a cooperating teacher at a school site and with a University of Phoenix faculty supervisor. All clinical experiences are aligned to state and professional standards and prepare candidates to be effective educational professionals.

The Master of Arts in Education/Secondary Teacher Education (MAED/TED-S) is a graduate degree program preparing candidates for initial teacher licensure. The guiding philosophy of the MAED/TED-S program is to provide the adult student, who already has a degree in a discipline other than education, with the knowledge, skills and dispositions that will allow him or her (or change to plural throughout) to become a competent and effective educator. This program focuses on secondary student learning by improving the educators responsibility for that learning. Clinical Practice (student teaching) is an integral component of the Teacher Education Program. It provides students with a field-based experience at the appropriate grade and content level. Student teachers work with a cooperating teacher from a school site and with a University of Phoenix faculty advisor. The clinical practice is designed to emphasize the achievement of state standards leading to certification and to present individuals with growth opportunities that best prepare them to assume the duties of a certified classroom teacher. Throughout the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of verified clinical experiences covering a variety of developmental levels. The focus of each experience will relate to specific course content and professional preparation. Documentation will be maintained in the students professional portfolio.

The Master of Arts in Education (MAED) with a specialization in Special Education is a graduate degree program preparing candidates for teacher licensure in the field of special education. Candidates for this program have already earned a bachelor's degree and wish to gain the pedagogical skills and knowledge that will assist them in becoming effective special education educators. The program's curriculum includes orientation to the exceptional child, foundations and methodologies of mild disabilities, diagnosis and assessment of disabilities, structured English immersion, reading and language arts instruction, inclusion strategies, and collaboration and resource management for the special educator.

Throughout the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of verified field experiences. The focus of each observation will relate to specific course content. Students' field experiences are designed to prepare them for student teaching. Student teaching is an integral component of the Special Education Program. Student teachers work with a cooperating teacher and with a University of Phoenix faculty advisor during a field-based experience in mild to moderate special education setting. The student teaching experience is designed to emphasize the achievement of state standards leading to certification and to present individuals with growth opportunities that best prepare them to assume the duties of a certified teacher.

The Master of Arts in Education/Special Education is a graduate degree program intended for students with no prior teaching experience for initial teacher licensure. The program is designed for students who want to become special education teachers. Candidates for this program have already earned a bachelors degree. The program includes a clinical component requiring field experiences and student teaching above and beyond program coursework. As licensure requirements may vary by state, it is the students responsibility to ascertain and meet licensure requirements in any state in which the student desires to practice and to contact the applicable state educator licensure agency to verify current requirements to become a licensed teacher. There may be additional qualifications and/or disqualifications applicable in order to work as a teacher with any local, state or federal entity.

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Online Education Degree Programs | University of Phoenix

Investment was supposed to boom after the tax cut.

First-quarter economic growth exceeded even the most optimistic expectations, expanding at a 3.2% annualized rate. The Trump administration was quick to take credit for the continued strength in the U.S. economy.

At a rally in Green Bay, Wis., Saturday night, President Donald Trump again declared that his leadership and policies were delivering what he refers to as the best economy in history.

Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, got more specific.

The gross domestic product report confirms our view that the momentum from last year was not a sugar high but a serious response to long-run policies that have made the U.S. a more attractive place for business, Hassett told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Theres just one problem with Hassetts assessment.

The unexpected strength in the GDP report came from inventories, trade, and state and local government spending, not from business investment, which is where one would expect to see the response to the kind of long-run, supply-side policies Hassett implied.

Private final demand, which is known in the GDP report as final sales to private domestic purchasers and which should be the beneficiary of tax cuts and deregulation, rose an anemic 1.3%, the smallest increase in six years.

At the same time, net exports (exports minus imports) and inventories accounted for a combined 1.68 percentage points more than half of the first quarters GDP 3.2% growth and the largest contribution in six years.

So wheres the tax-cut-driven boost in capital expenditures?

Real nonresidential fixed investment business spending on structures, equipment and intellectual property rose at a 2.7% rate in the first quarter, half the fourth-quarter pace.

Yes, there were two back-to-back quarters of solid capex growth in 2018 following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Business fixed investment rose 11.7% in the first quarter of 2018 and 8.7% in the second before slumping to 2.5% in the third.

However, investment posted solid, back-to-back quarters in the middle of 2014 as well, with real GDP averaging 5%.

Also read: Manufacturers grow at slowest pace in April since Trump elected, ISM finds

Whats more, investment in structures posted a third consecutive quarterly decline in the first quarter, while spending on equipment rose a paltry 0.2%. A key barometer of future capital spending, new orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, has seen a deceleration in year-over-year growth since its recent peak in September 2017.

Also read: Construction spending tumbles in March as housing takes it on the chin

Meanwhile, housing, or residential investment, posted its fifth consecutive quarterly decline and seventh in the last eight quarters. Fixed investment, both residential and nonresidential, contributed a combined 0.27 percentage points to first-quarter growth. Not exactly a supply-side endorsement.

Mondays Outlook column in the Wall Street Journal begs to differ. The Supply Side of the Economy is Flashing Strength, reads the headline. The article by Jon Hilsenrath cites a consensus-estimate 2.3% jump in first-quarter productivity growth (which was reported on Thursday as a 3.6% increase) and nascent signs of a pick-up in labor-force growth.

That would certainly be welcome news. An aging population and a 15-year slump in productivity are limiting the economys capacity to expand without creating inflationary pressure. Faster potential GDP, of course, would mean that the economy can run hotter for longer without triggering a response from the Federal Reserve.

If you take the Fed at its word, policy makers would like to see a bit more price pressure after years of undershooting their 2% inflation target. It remains to be seen what will happen if and when inflation pierces that barrier and heads higher.

It is always possible that measured productivity growth will show a lagged response to technological innovation, as it did in the 1990s. Economist Robert Solow famously remarked in 1987 that you can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.

As if on cue, productivity growth then exited its two-decade slump in the mid-1990s to exceed 3% over the next 10 years.

If you believe, as I do, that much of todays technology is distracting, addictive and productivity-sapping, then Solows prescience may not come to fruition anytime soon.

Now, the first quarters odd distribution of growth was probably a fluke, or just plain weird, as economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, called it. The government shutdown in January may have dampened consumer spending and prompted businesses to delay planned investments. Strong retail sales in March support the idea of deferred consumer purchases.

In 2016, 2017, and 2018 the dominant source of growth was households and businesses, which had contributed more than 100% of growth on average, Holtz-Eakin writes. That compares with 43% of the growth in final sales in the first quarter.

Even a reversal of the first-quarters contributions to growth in the second quarter wouldnt settle the question of whether last years 3% GDP growth was a tax-cut-driven sugar high or a supply-side miracle.

It would take a consistent improvement in productivity growth from the 1.4% post-2004 average and sustained 3% growth in real GDP compared with the sub-2% estimate of potential, before we can extrapolate a new trend, not to mention a new normal.

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Investment boom? What investment boom? - MarketWatch

In the first essay of Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals (OGM), he lays out his famous accusation: Christianity is the religion of the downtrodden, the bullied, the weak, the poor and the slave. And this, precisely, is why it is so filled with hatred. For there is nothing quite as explosive as the sort of bottled up resentment that the oppressed feels towards their oppressor. It's all there in the Bible.

Consider Psalm 137. It begins with the cry of an enslaved people:

By the Rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion'

Such circumstances are a breeding ground for fantasies of violence and revenge. And so the Psalm concludes: " ... happy shall be he who takes your children and smashes their heads against the rock." For Nietzsche, this frustrated anger is the essence of Christian morality. It is the very engine of the church. Christianity is a religion of hatred.

Nowhere is this more obvious, Nietzsche insists, than with the invention of the idea of hell. For hell is a fantasy of the weak that enables them to imagine compensatory revenge against the strong. Evidencing this, he points to Aquinas who wrote that "the blessed in the heavenly kingdom will see the torment of the damned so that they may even more thoroughly enjoy their own blessedness." The whole theological architecture of heaven and hell is, for Nietzsche, the product of "hatred" dressed up to look like love.

But the vengefulness of the pious slave goes a great deal further than simply twisting the idea of God into an instrument of revenge. For Nietzsche's contention is that the very origins of morality itself and secular morality just as much as its Judeo-Christian predecessor can be understood as springing from the same impulse. Socialists beware: he thinks this is your story too.

Don't look for proper history here. In a sense, Nietzsche is re-narrating the myth of the fall. In the beginning, so he says, there was nothing much wrong with the notion of God. Yahweh represented a culture at ease with itself and its prosperity. The festivals of religion were about exuberance, the means by which life was to be celebrated. But then came slavery and deportation into exile. And with this, the whole idea of God was re-imagined. Instead of being an expression of abundant confidence, God was transformed into a vehicle for desired revenge.

It was the Jews who, rejecting the aristocratic value equation (good = noble = powerful = beautiful = happy = blessed) ventured, with awe inspiring consistency, to bring about a reversal and held it in the teeth of their most unfathomable hatred (the hatred of the powerless), saying:

Only those who suffer are good, only the poor, the powerless, the lowly are good; the suffering, the deprived, the sick, the ugly, are the only pious people, the only ones saved, salvation is for them alone, whereas you rich, the noble and powerful, you eternally wicked cruel, lustful, insatiate, godless, you will be eternally wretched, cursed and damned. (OGM 1:7)

With slavery, all values are reversed. "Blessed are the poor" says Jesus. Everything vibrant and life-affirming is redescribed as "bad" so as to undermine the authority of the strong. Morality is a put-down. And with this revolutionary redescription, Nietzsche contends, humanity degrades itself. Humanity withers.

It may be worth nailing the jibe that Nietzsche was antisemitic. Certainly, his talk of "the Jews" in the above reference will make many of us squirm. And his famous friendship with Wagner and the fact that he became Hitler's favourite thinker do nothing to ease this discomfort. Yet, the truth is, Nietzsche loathed antisemites. He thought them vulgar and often said as much. In Beyond Good and Evil he muses: "It would perhaps be a good idea to eject the antisemitic ranters from the country."

Despite the fact that all this is widely accepted by scholars, many who read Nietzsche still experience some residual anxiety that his celebration of the powerful and his denigration of the weak has proto-Nazi overtones. In OGM he speaks approvingly of the "magnificent blond beast avidly prowling around for spoil and victory" in contrast to the "failed, sickly, tired and exhausted people of whom today's Europe is beginning to reek". This is not a reference to Jews. Even so, I think Nietzsche apologists have been far too indulgent of his celebrated rhetorical flamboyance. This sort of language stinks.

But although there are several occasions when the modern reader will want to hold their nose whilst reading Nietzsche, it is worth persevering. For there is much here to ponder, not least the familiar idea that those who are bullied and abused in one generation can often turn into the bullies and abusers of the next. With Nietzsche, this thought becomes the guiding thread of cultural history. The impact of suffering cascades down the generations, finding its way into all aspects of life, cultural and psychological. Yes, he is out to expose the vast weight of poisonous anger that lurks behind that hideous evangelical smile. But his ambition is much greater than this. For Nietzsche contends that Judeo-Christianity has shaped European culture to such an extent that the inversion of values that it promotes has permeated the entire way we see the world. When things are this far gone, a simple declaration of "the death of God" will do little to change things. In fact, it may simply mask the root of the illness. For Nietzsche, atheism is no simple prophylactic against slave morality.

Rev Dr Giles Fraser is the vicar of Putney. He was formerly a lecturer in philosophy at Wadham College, Oxford. His books include Redeeming Nietzsche: On the Piety of Unbelief (Routledge, 2002)

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Giles Fraser: Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals ...

The book explores crucial themes in Heidegger, Levinas and Nietzsche, primarily centred around the problem of death and dying (chapter one), self and other (chapter two), figurations of being (chapter three), dwelling (chapter four), truth and error (chapter five), and the concept of substance (chapter six). With the exception of the last chapter, Rafael Winkler shows how Heidegger, Levinas, and Nietzsche, as well as Derrida and Ricoeur (not mentioned in the subtitle, but very present throughout the book) are key-players in the still ongoing debate about: (1) the nature of the subject, (2) the limits of thought and experience, and (3) the human dependence on and responsibility for the earth on which we dwell as mortals, neighbours, strangers and guest friends, always mindful of the dead, while, at the same time, seeking to establish a historical home fit for human society.

As he explains in a brief introduction, Winkler takes the concept of "uniqueness" -- that which escapes all categorizing and identification -- as the prism through which he aims to explore death and mourning, dwelling, hospitality, and responsibility in the face of the other, the friend, or Being itself.

But there are at least three distinct takes on "the unique" in his book. First, the dominant meaning throughout denotes the unique as the singularity of a person or subject, or "the non-replaceability of a life" (xiii). Here, "the unique" has an ethical connotation, broadly speaking, for it points to the possible or actual violation of the uniqueness of a life or a person, namely, when we take others or ourselves as replaceable, classifiable, and identifiable, etc.

Second, Winkler also refers to the "the unique" as a formal-ontological category, denoting a "purely formal feature of existence" as such, the mere "haecceity of a being," its pure and as yet unqualified, non-identified "being there at all" (xiii, xv). As he puts it, "when nothing more can be said of it [the something whatsoever, IF] except that it is, then and only then does it stand apart and shine through in the singularity of its existence" (xiv). The sheer something, even prior to its diremption into "someone" or "something" (xiv), is the formal-ontologically unique, the "absolutely other," "the anonymous" or the absolutely strange (xiv).

Although Winkler is aware of these two distinct takes on the unique and even uses this distinction throughout the book, he is, in my view, not sufficiently clear about the full significance of this distinction. For instance, while there is a certain sublimity, strangeness, or otherness in the sheer existence of something that escapes all categorization, identification, etc., which can result in a feeling of awe, shock, or disorientation, as Winkler notes, it is doubtful that the particularly ethical response to the unique, in the encounter of the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, or the relation to one's own death or the mourning of a friend, can be adequately described or subsumed as a specific case of what is unique in the purely formal-ontological sense.

Moreover, Winkler introduces a third dimension of the meaning of "the unique," when he writes that his purpose is "to justify . . . the belief that the unique is everything or, to put it more precisely using one of Plato's expressions, that the unique is to ontos on, the really real" (xii). It is unclear how such a project could avoid prioritizing the formal-ontological meaning of the unique at the expense of the genuinely ethical concept of singularity. Moreover, it is equally unclear how such an undertaking could be achieved without a discussion of nominalism and its long tradition. But there is not a hint of that, and, in the end, Winkler nowhere develops this systematic ontological idea, dropping it for the much more modest idea to highlight differences and commonalities in Heidegger, Levinas, and Derrida through the lens of "the unique," clearly taking it as a limit-concept.

In the first chapter, "Death, the Impossible," Winkler pursues three intersecting objectives. First, accepting Heidegger's claim that anticipating one's own death can initiate an utmost singularization at the limit of one's life (11), Winkler contests that the experience of the imminence of death is so shattering and forever elusive that it is bound to dissolve "every kind of unity and identity" in Dasein, without, however, thereby annulling the very experience of it (7).

According to Winkler, Heidegger actually affirms such a position in his lecture "What is Metaphysics?" when he argues that in anxiety we not only lose our grip on the world because it slips away from us, but that we also experience a loss of the "I." He quotes Heidegger's summary of the uncanny experience of anxiety:

At bottom therefore, it is not as though 'you' or 'I' feel ill at ease [nicht 'dir' und 'mir' unheimlich ist]; rather, it is this way for some 'one' [sondern 'einem' ist es so]. In the altogether unsettling experience of this hovering where there is nothing to hold onto, pure Da-sein is all that is still there. (15)

As Winkler rightly notes, this is different from Heidegger's account in Being and Time. But does it really follow that Heidegger here suggests that "the I vanishes," as Winkler puts it (15)? After all, the Da-sein in the human being that experiences anxiety remains intact, and Dasein is determined by Jemeinigkeit and care for itself, even if that mineness is often not very pronounced or foregrounded, or perhaps even weakened.

Second, although Winkler argues that anxiety in the face of death is an overwhelming and shattering limit situation that singularizes Dasein and leads to its disintegration as an identical self, he insists that this experience of dissolution can be had, albeit not "owned", by the authority of the "first person," because precisely this "identity" is undermined by the experience of death. Thus, Winkler argues that an experience is possible even in the absence of an intact "unity of the first person" (1). In defending this view, Winkler goes on to attack Dan Zahavi's account of the necessary unity of consciousness, for which he heavily draws on testimonials of schizophrenic patients (taken from Laing's The Divided Self). But since these testimonials operate with the conspicuous presence of the word "I," thus always presupposing what is said to be absent or shattered (16-17), I fail to see how Winkler can make good his argument on that basis.

Moreover, Winkler's further claim that because of the disintegration of the personal self, brought about by the anticipation of one's death, authenticity and resoluteness in the face of death is impossible and that, therefore, "I cannot own my existence authentically" (1) before death is certainly in need of much more substantiation, because this result flies in the face of everything Heidegger has written.

However that may be, Winkler's third objective is to claim that even though my own death is entirely disorienting and shattering, namely as an always outstanding, imminent but never present "event," it is not, as Derrida would have it, an impossibility in such a way that death comes home, so to speak, only through the death of a friend, i.e., in mourning over the death of the irreplaceable friend (20-24). Since Winkler is primarily focused on the unique, he is quite content with simply noting that Derrida's account of mourning is just as much a genuine figure of the singularizing of death, i.e., the death of a singular and irreplaceable friend, as is Heidegger's account of anxiety in the face of my own death, which singularizes my own Dasein. That is certainly true, but this observation alone does not help to settle the issue, i.e., whether Heidegger's or Derrida's analysis of death is more compelling.

In the second chapter, "Self and Other," Winkler continues his exploration of the unique in human life, that is, in its manifestation in the call of conscience (Heidegger) and the summons of the other (Levinas). According to Winkler, the decisive difference between the two is that while Heidegger's call issues from inside Dasein calling it to its unique self, the summons calls me from outside, singling out the other in his or her absolute singularity. In other words, for Heidegger there is an internal "ontological alterity" at the very heart of Dasein itself, whereas for Levinas there is an "ethical alterity of the other" external to the subject (41).

In this context, Winkler also discusses Ricoeur's attempt in Oneself as Another to find a middle ground between Heidegger and Levinas. Ricoeur suggests that the call at the heart of Dasein must be interpreted as the internal acknowledgment or attestation of the obligation to the other, as a response to an injunction. This would make the call genuinely ethical, which it is not in Heidegger. At the same time, it would anchor the call in the subject's binding itself to its obligation to the other, in contrast to Levinas' merely externally founded summons by the other. As Winkler points out, such a position would also support more recent attempts by Franois Raffoul and Franoise Dastur to derive the alterity of the other from the ontological alterity within Dasein.

However, in contrast to this attempted rapprochement, Winkler argues that "there is no phenomenological or hermeneutical justification" for holding the view that in assigning myself responsibility for my actions (in and through the call), I am already enjoined by the other outside, such that "the injunction of the other" would already reside in me (45). Put differently, there is no way that one can "transpose the vertical relation that structures the interiority of the self onto the social relation between the self and the other" (45.) Binding oneself to the call of one's conscience is not isomorphic with the response of the call coming from the other, and the singularity of Dasein (in acknowledging the call of conscience) is distinct from the singularity with which the other addresses me (46).

The third chapter, "Figurations," explores the idea of absolute alterity or uniqueness, this side of all particular ethical considerations and obligations owed to the other. Winkler starts out by noting that Heidegger's concept of metaphysics and Levinas' concept of ontology have much in common (48-50). Both concepts refer to a totality of entities and beings, fully present, and represented in the understanding, such that whatever falls outside the parameters of theoretical cognition or the metaphysical grasp of entities, is excluded and relegated to nothingness. What thus falls by the wayside is the absolute other that resists integration into the same (Levinas) or the metaphysical totality of beings (Heidegger). Thus, at the limit of ontology or metaphysics emerges "the thought of absolute difference" which eludes all contextualization, anticipation, and rational control (49). It is the unique in its pure form, not an identifiable being, but a mere "figuration of being" (54), prior even to the diremption of beings into "someone" and "something," or "what" or "who" (55).

Winkler holds that Heidegger's concept of the Event or Being, as distinguished from beings, points to such absolute difference, for Being or the Event is not a being. It is the absolute other that "is" withdrawn and stays hidden, a secret in the midst of all the positivity of entities. In his own way, Levinas thinks through the absolute other too, this side of the same, when he discusses the feminine as non-identifiable, non-reducible, non-assimilable to the same, antedating the home, into which, however, she welcomes the host, preparing the home as "the place of exile and refuge," for the guest and the stranger, thus enabling human dwelling or habitation (59). Winkler suggests that Levinas' conception of "the withdrawal of the feminine" is in an import sense a "rethinking of the withdrawal of Being in Heidegger" (59).

As a third attempt to think absolute difference, Winkler points to Derrida's concept of the "absolute arrivant," which is an unconditional and unqualified hospitality towards the future (61). The upshot is that underneath their many surface differences, a careful reading can identify the commonality of the deepest thoughts in Heidegger, Levinas, and Derrida.

This is further elaborated in chapter four, "Dwelling," where Winkler by way of an extraordinarily refreshing reading of Heidegger's lectures on Hlderlin establishes Heidegger's very own version of hospitality (Gastfreundschaft), the welcome of the stranger into one's home, as the proper response to the challenge to found what its homely on the self-secluding earth. Quoting from Heidegger's lectures on Der Ister, Winkler shows that Heidegger knows that "the appropriation of the proper is only as the encounter and guest-like conversation with the foreign" (83).

Chapter five, "Beyond Truth," delves into Derrida's and Heidegger's interpretations of Nietzsche's conception of the limits of metaphysics and truth. Assuming a middle position, Winkler critiques Derrida's reading of Nietzsche for "its excessive focus on play and irony" (102), while, correlatively, he takes issue with Heidegger's conspicuous neglect of just this side in Nietzsche (96). However, Winkler's suggestion that Nietzsche did not give up the idea of truth, but rather, endorsed an epoch "in a manner similar to Husserl's suspension of the natural attitude" (87), needs much more elaboration, for it is hardly consistent with Nietzsche's view that by "abolishing the true world" we have also done away with "the apparent world."

Chapter six, "Substance," abruptly departs from the main line of inquiry in the previous chapters and provides a doxographic account of the emergence of the technical term substance or substantia in Roman philosophy. While Winkler notes that it is part of the common understanding that substantia translates the Greek term ousia, he points to the new Roman reality with its emphasis on rhetoric, public conflicts and courts to resolve them as a decisive background that shaped the usage of the term. In the forensic context, the term substantia refers to what a dispute is about, the subject matter of the case and this forensic meaning reinforced the philosophical use of substance (125).

While it is unclear how this insight contributes to the interpretations offered in the earlier chapters, the reader will note that in the course of this discussion Winkler also touches on the Stoic concept of the supreme genus, the something as such (120). This obviously relates back to Winkler's initial inquiry into the unqualified singular, but oddly enough Winkler does not engage this issue at all in this chapter. (Incidentally, Winkler also misses Heidegger's own discussion of the "something" as such in 20 of Zur Bestimmung der Philosophie.)

In conclusion, although the book has some merit in highlighting the real proximity between Heidegger, Levinas, and Derrida, the various observations and theses Winkler advances are of varying quality, and some need to be elaborated in more detail and with more justification in order to be persuasive.

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Philosophy of Finitude: Heidegger, Levinas, and Nietzsche ...