Michael J. Motta
Michael J. Motta is a philosopher, writer, and teacher. He has written professionally since 2007, and his credits include eHow.com, beTurtle.com, associatedcontent.com, and Property Investor Magazine .
Motta resides in the Great Lakes State, where he may be found watching college sports (especially the Michigan State Spartans) during the chilly months and wild birds during the warmer months.
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Motta resides in the Great Lakes State, where he may be found watching college sports (especially the Michigan State Spartans) during the chilly months and wild birds during the warmer months.
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- Page Views
- 33,276
- Content
- 44
- Fans
- 3
- Contributor since
- 6/11/2009
Education/Experience
M.A. in Philosophy, Michigan State University; B.A. in Social Science, Michigan State UniversityInterests
Art, literature, philosophy, politics, psychology, NCAA, colleges and universities, wild birds and birdwatching.Affiliations
American Civil Liberties Union, AllExperts, Michigan Audubon Society, ACLU of Michigan, FacebookFavorites
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Featured Content (1 of 1)
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Displaying Results 1 - 44 (of 44) for All Content
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Duty-based Ethics and Results-oriented EthicsTwo basic types of ethical theories summarized -- duty-based/deontological and consequentialist/utilitarian.
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How to Reserve Judgment and Abide in AmbiguityCritical thinking involves acceptance of the fact that we may not be able to answer all questions both definitively and immediately. How to sort and "triage" various problems of human existence, from the mundane to the "deep". -
How to Appreciate the Bohemian"Bohemian" defined and explored in historical and contemporary contexts. -
How to Worship Thomas Kinkade, Painter of BlightTongue-in-cheek look at Kinkade and his sheep. -
How to Practice Free AssociationUnderstanding and playing with free association. Examples and some theory. -
How to Catch a Freudian SlipDescribes Freudian slips and how they work. Includes examples. -
The Dionysian and the Apollonian in ArtDiscussion of what is meant by "Dionysian" and "Apollonian", and how they combine in art. Friedrich Nietzsche and Kay Redfield Jamison are key players. -
How to Combine the Vita Activa with the Vita ContemplativaBridging the gap between engagement and intellectual inquiry, especially in regard to ethics and values. -
The Roots of Platonic Love and FriendshipPlatonic love traced to Plato's "Symposium". -
How to Understand Divergent Thinking and Convergent ThinkingBoth styles of thinking operate in problem-solving. Here they are defined and contrasted. -
Psychological Projection: Basics and Social TipsBrief, non-technical summary of psychological projection, along with applications that are immediately practical in daily social life. -
Why and How to Combat CensorshipCensorship as a threat, and how to fight back against it. -
Kohlberg's Stages of Moral ReasoningLawrence Kohlberg advanced three levels of moral reasoning, each divided into two stages, for a total of six stages. These levels and stages are briefly summarized/interpreted and the author offers occasional commentary. -
Ethics Versus MoralityOne way to draw a distinction between ethics and morality. Morality and morals as static and inherited; ethics as dynamic and debated. -
How to Appreciate Someone Who is "Quite a Character"Taking aesthetic (rather than moral) stances toward persons. Studying unique individuals in one's life, without necessarily endorsing them. -
How to Criticize TactfullyDo's and don't's of criticism. -
How to Be an Agnostic in Theory and an Atheist in PracticeAgnosticism and atheism explored. A way of living under the assumption that God doesn't exist, while still leaving the issue open (avoiding such claim), is presented.
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Understanding Plato's "Forms"Simple instructions for helping the reader to comprehend the Platonic Forms.
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Using the Illegal to Justify the LegalNotes on how making a practice illegal serves the purpose of "reverse engineering" the legal. The illegal becomes equated with the unethical, and thus the legal becomes equated with the ethical. The law precedes ethics rather than following from ethics.
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Representational Art and Nonrepresentational ArtBasic ways to understand the difference between representational and nonrepresentational art. Some discussion of modern/postmodern art and abstract art.
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How to Speak Pig LatinBasic Pig Latin explained, with introductory commentary.
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Playing with ScienceAn easy way for kids to have fun and learn a little bit of science by using just basic household items.
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How to Get Boys "Into" ArtSome suggestions for stimulating children (particularly boys), to take an interest in art.
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Simple Ways to Tempt Your Taste Buds with the Tangy LemonHow to make easy use of lemons in your kitchen or anywhere else.
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What Do You Do with Antsy Kids on a Rainy Day?Instructions on how to play this simplest of games, which requires little more than players to play it! It's an easy, fun, and stimulating way to allow children to occupy themselves
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How to Play the Ol' Severed Finger GagThe "victim" opens up a jewelry gift box, to the horrifying sight of an apparently detached and bloody finger.
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Green Education: How to Plant a Litter GardenA fun, hands-on study of waste decomposition and biodegradability (or lack thereof).
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Making Love with Beauty, Art, and NatureTaking an aesthetic stance toward the world as opposed to the conventional way of viewing it as a stockpile of tools or means to be manipulated for pedestrian purposes.
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No Lesser MermaidLove poem
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Call Wild Birds the Easy WayEasy steps for calling wild birds (particularly songbirds), without aid of anything beyond your own mouth.
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Bananas Baked in One MinuteHow to prepare baked bananas in a microwave
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Purple PaintingHaiku
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Successful Telemarketing for LeadsBasic steps for successful telemarketing, particularly for mortgage leads.
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Fresh Fish Done Quickly and EasilyHow to prepare tasty and moist fish quickly and without much fuss or mess.
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How to Succeed as a College UndergraduateBasics about succeeding as an undergraduate once you've enrolled in a school. Finding your niches in college. Illustrated with personal examples.
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Training Vs. Education: Discerning the DifferencesHow education distinguishes itself from training.
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How to Begin Thinking CriticallyBasic critical thinking skills taught and supplemented with references from the history of philosophy.
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How to Influence Politics (Clothing Optional)Armchair political activism tips. In this piece you will learn how to affect political change, without so much as having to get dressed.
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How to Realize that Torture is TerrorismTorture as a form of "sanctioned" terrorism; associated hypocrisy; political awareness.
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Psychological Rigidity and Emotional Ambivalence"Black and white" thinking and feeling, and related actions. Authoritarianism, "splitting", ambiguity vs. ambivalence.
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Psychological "Splitting" as Defense MechanismBasic explanation of psychological "splitting". Also, how it manifests in borderline personality disorder.
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The Stereo Balance was Always Set to the MiddleA poem for Father's Day, especially befitting dads who practice moderation in all things - except for kindness.
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Judging Movies and Music in AmericaHow ratings systems (particularly for movies) are shortsighted, miss the point of aesthetic judgment, and ultimately damage cultural production rather than enhancing it.
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Exposing "Excellence"Taking issue with a Tea Party idea of "excellence". Critique of capitalist values.