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<b>Philosophy</b> professor gets students thinking

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 02:23 AM PDT

The meaning of human existence has long been the subject of questions and theories. In the College of Liberal Arts' PHIL 100 (The Meaning of Human Existence), students can find some answers.

PHIL 100 is a class that instructor Aaron Krempa (graduate-philosophy) said is meant to get the students comfortable with thinking.

"When you're teaching an intro to philosophy, when you know these students won't be philosophy majors, the goal is to just get them to think," Krempa said.

The course takes a historical journey through the meaning of human existence, starting with the Greeks and moving forward.

"I've never taken any philosophy course, I've never taken an arts course, or anything," class member Loren Hall (sophomore-economics) said. "This class is a whole new way of contemplative thought. It's out of the box and gets you thinking of your existence, why you are here,"

The class was Krempa's first choice to teach, as he said it adds a lot of value to everyone's lives. Most of the words and concepts were taken from ancient philosophers and required more than the simple memorization of terms a typical class demands, Andrew Paterson (sophomore-psychology and integrative arts) said.

"I think it's challenging and a totally different way of thinking," he said.

Discussion in Wednesday's class was not limited to human existence, covering things that Krempa said many people find difficult to think about, such as "Dasein." Using everyday examples and images, Krempa demonstrated how the philosophy applies to students and the objects that surround them.

"Dasein is a being who questions being. My water bottle is indifferent to being," Krempa said, holding up his green bottle.

One student questioned whether humans were the only example of Dasein or whether animals were included.

Krempa elaborated on this concept by telling a story about his cat and how it sticks to the same habits even after moving to a new apartment where the habits no longer are necessary.

"Certain people see activities in animals that seem to be higher than animal behavior as we normally see it," Krempa said. "But we are the only example of Dasein."

Krempa doesn't mind all the questions. That's what he's there for, he said.

"It's a really good introduction to philosophy if you are looking for a broad and more general class," Krempa said.

e-mail reporter: klk5332@psu.edu

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Orioles bullpen <b>philosophy</b> 101

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 08:55 AM PDT

With the exception of Mike Gonzalez's blown save on Tuesday night, the Orioles bullpen has performed admirably through the first two games of the season, so I've got no problem whatsoever with the way manager Dave Trembley has handled it.

Will Ohman has pitched well twice. Jim Johnson and Matt Albers looked good in their first outings. Cla Meredith gave up a home run to Evan Longoria last night, but that's going to be a big club by the end of the season.

If I have a problem with the bullpen, it's really more philosophical. Trembley, like almost all major league managers, goes with a fairly standard bullpen schematic that calls for a couple of matchup middle guys for the seventh inning, an eighth-inning setup guy and a go-to closer that starts the ninth inning.

It looks great when it works, and it generally will work pretty good if you've got a good bullpen and your starters get you an out or two in the seventh inning. It looks even better if you hit well enough to have more than a one-run lead at that point in the game.

Even in that situation, however, I've got a problem with the doctrinaire nature of the thing, since it contains one mathematical flaw that almost guarantees a surprisingly high level of failure if you don't have an absolutely outstanding bullpen.

If you have an average bullpen and trot four relievers out to pitch in a close game, there's a pretty good chance that one of them is not going to be at his best, and it only takes that one shaky guy to wipe away all the good things that happened in the course of a hard-fought game.

This theory has not come into play for the Orioles...yet. Trembley got exactly what he was looking for from his bullpen on Tuesday until Gonzalez gave up three hits in the ninth, and there isn't a manager in baseball who wouldn't have brought in his new closer in that situation. Dave pretty much got what he needed on Wednesday night, too.

But looking down the road, there's something to be said for playing the hot hand once in awhile and leaving a middle guy in to pitch to a couple more batters -- regardless of matchup -- if he's throwing well. The more buttons you push, the more the likelihood that you push the wrong one.

For instance, if you're eighth-inning setup guy comes in and looks overpowering getting out of the eighth, doesn't it make more sense to let him start the ninth than gamble on how sharp your closer is going to be at the start of the inning?

I know the argument against that. If you do it too much, you might wear out your setup guy. Maybe so, but I'll start worrying about that when the Orioles have enough leads going into the ninth inning to find out.

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Philosophy

Friday, April 9, 2010

“[Ads by Yahoo!] philosophy: Official Site” plus 2 more

“[Ads by Yahoo!] <b>philosophy</b>: Official Site” plus 2 more

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