First philosophy of democratic capitalism as creative economy: A thomistic onto-theology of self-communicative ownership
This paper attempts a theological justification for the right to private property or ownership. This I have subtitled, A Thomistic Onto-Theology of Self-Communicative Ownership, for our discourse grounds human ownership as a participation of the self-giving creativity of the Divine owner. Such a justification of ownership is also a metaphysical articulation of the true spirit of the creative economy, which should be the theological norm for democratic capitalism, insofar as capitalism aspires to be such a creative economy. This is no blind praise of any capitalist system, but proposes itself as a normative thesis as well as a justificatory thesis of capitalism. Hence its title, First Philosophy of Democratic Capitalism As Creative Economy, for it intends to be a demonstration of its first principlesfirst of a creative economy, and by extension also of democratic capitalism insofar as the latter should instantiate such an economy.
Schools as social enterprises: The Las Casas report, evidence-based, and neoliberal policy discourse
What is a school? An answer consistent with human rights
This essay relates the philosophical and conceptual study of educational institutions with educational policy. I argue that both the descriptive and prescriptive answer to "what a school is" should focus on the school that is important, which is the central case. This central case of a school should embody an ethos of openness towards the basic goods. This translates into rights discourse as a school which respects human rights. From this description I propose policy for evaluating, ranking and developing educational institutions and focused on the merit of philosophy and theology departments in educational institutions.
Being written: Thinking the normative in the EdD
In this paper I give various reasons why the EdD programme helpfully heightens our normative senses. The writing of a thesis in time and hence the realisation that the same time – that window of opportunity – to do other things and enjoy other experiences is traded off, comports the students in a manner which heightens his or her sense of one's temporality and invites reflexive consideration of what is it that truly matters. Thus embarking on an graduate programme and writing an EdD is an invitation to theorize no doubt – we are invited to read, think, to reason, discuss and to write down our thoughts. But at the end of the day, it is the EdD that writes us. In the midst of our scholarly striving, it shapes us and graces us with the keen sense of what it is that ultimately matters. Such grasp of what truly matters ought then to inform our own reform of our scholarly and professional discourses in our field.