Joshua Gibbs

The Moral of “The Creator”

The cuter your toaster is, the more rights it has.

Choosing Books and Movies for Kids and Teens (With A Little Help From Socrates)

“If you show a small child a wild, zany cartoon which concludes with the moral, “Don’t tell lies,” the child is ten times more likely to behave in a wild, zany manner than in an honest manner. We are all far more likely to absorb a vibe, a mood, or an aesthetic than we areContinue reading “Choosing Books and Movies for Kids and Teens (With A Little Help From Socrates)”

Is Language Logical Or Is Logic Linguistic?

A significant part of proving that a certain claim is logical rests on illustrations born of proper and improper speech. This arises in The Consolation of Philosophy when Lady Philosophy asserts that evil is a nothingness, a privation of being. To prove this, she points out that people do not say that a dead manContinue reading “Is Language Logical Or Is Logic Linguistic?”

Pamphlet No. 3: “Will Heaven Be Boring?”

“Teacher: You might watch a movie to alleviate boredom, but what if the movie went on for ten hours? Student: Anyone would tire of a movie that long. Teacher: Yes, and so you would quit watching the movie to do something else, but that thing would eventually becomes boring, as well. So you do somethingContinue reading “Pamphlet No. 3: “Will Heaven Be Boring?””

Travis Copeland Has Guts

“Lastly, if classical schools more cautiously approached graduate degrees, a lot of us teachers might be out of some pay, but we might be made all the wiser and more honest for it. So, what if in the next interview, your administration stopped asking: what school did you go to, and instead they asked: what does thisContinue reading “Travis Copeland Has Guts”

It Is Impossible To Say What Will Become A Classic (And What Won’t)

Gibbs: Your favorite movie is Attack of the Clones? 8th grader: Yeah. Gibbs: You like it better than The Empire Strikes Back? 8th grader: The first three movies are boring. Gibbs: Seriously? Many 8th graders: Yeah.

25 Years From Now

Dad: (holding camera) Alright, everyone smile and show me your middle fingers!

A Lively Conversation Isn’t Necessarily Productive

“I would first like to offer you a lively, robust classroom conversation about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and then I’d like to offer you an explanation of why the conversation is rather pointless, and what the conversation needs in order to be productive.” -my latest for CiRCE

When The Best Part Of School Was Lunch

“The student who says lunch was the best part of the day isn’t necessarily griping. How many happy fathers would say the best part of their week was the time they spent in the office? None, and this doesn’t mean they’re ungrateful for their jobs, or that they find their work unsatisfying. Likewise, going toContinue reading “When The Best Part Of School Was Lunch”

Author Archives: Joshua Gibbs