Tag Archives: philosophy/religion

Cultural Literacy: Internationalism

Posted on June 22, 2026 | Leave a comment

Now seems like a good time to publish this Cultural Literacy worksheet on the political doctrine of internationalism. This is a half-page worksheet with a one-sentence reading and two comprehension questions. A bare-bones but effective introduction to a concept that, were it ever to catch on with any permanence, might just make the world a better place.

Really.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Cultural Literacy: Indulgence

Posted on June 12, 2026 | Leave a comment

When I taught or co-taught global studies, it was a topic that the curricula, unlike the often superficial passes through other important historical processes, focused on at relatively inordinate length, so this Cultural Literacy on the concept of an indulgence, at three sentences and three questions on a half-page document, was insufficient.

Still, it opens the door to discuss this weird medieval financial instrument–swapping earthly gains (often obtained through exploitative and violent means) for heavenly salvation. As the reading observes, indulgences were one of the things that infuriated Martin Luther and therefore began The Reformation. They also demonstrate, should anyone care to take a discussion in this direction, the apparently bottomless human capacity for self-delusion, corruption, and folly.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Cultural Literacy: Hedonism

Posted on June 4, 2026 | Leave a comment

As I prepared to publish this Cultural Literacy worksheet on hedonism, I found myself thinking that most high school students, most adolescents, do understand that the pursuit of pleasure and happiness is, if not the highest good in life, is close enough. I certainly did as a teenager. This short reading does a nice job connecting the concept of hedonism to the Epicureans.

In any case, this is a half-page worksheet with a two-sentence reading and three comprehension questions.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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The Doubter’s Companion: Boring

Posted on June 4, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Boring: The scientific community speaks about its work in a cool and disinterested manner. To present an exciting profile would be unprofessional. Any excess of emotion would suggest a lack of neutrality and therefore a tendency to read what they want in the facts rather than reporting what they see. Scientific objectivity must therefore appear to be boring.

Scientists are well aware that their work is neither boring nor objective. If it were, very few discoveries would be made.

Social science, being falsely empirical, is triply obsessed by the obligation to present itself as the objective interpretation of observed reality. Since the more or less hard edges of scientific inquiry are not involved, social scientists are free to be more categorical about truth, reality and what they call facts. They therefore seek to be more boring than scientists.”

Excerpted from: Saul, John Ralston. The Doubter’s Companion. New York: The Free Press, 1994.

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Tamils

Posted on May 15, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Tamils: People originally of South India who speak the Tamil language. The Tamils have a long history of achievement; sea travel, city life, and commerce seem to have developed early among them. They traded with the ancient Greeks and Romans. They have the oldest cultivated Dravidian language and a rich literary tradition. They are mostly Hindus (the Tamil area of India is a center of traditional Hinduism). In Sri Lanka there are two separate Tamil populations, the Ceylon Tamils and the Indian Tamils. Tensions between the Ceylon Tamils and the Sinhalese Buddhist majority prompted a Tamil guerilla insurgency in the 1980s and 90s. The Tamils number about 57 million, with 3.2 million living in Sri Lanka.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

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Bhakti

Posted on May 15, 2026 | Leave a comment

“bhakti: South Asian devotional movement, particularly in Hinduism, emphasizing the love of the devotee for his or her personal god. In contrast to Advaita, bhakti assumes a dualistic relationship between devotee and deity. Though Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti (see shakti) all have cults, bhakti characteristically developed a around Vishnu’s incarnations as Rama and Krishna. Practices include reciting the god’s name, singing hymns, wearing his emblem, and making pilgrimages. The fervor of South Indian hymnists in the 7th-10 centuries spread bhakti and inspired much poetry and art. Poets such as Mirabai conceived of the relationship between the worshiper and the god in familiar human terms (e.g. the lover the beloved), while more abstract poets such as Kabir and Nanak portrayed the divinity as singular and ineffable.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

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Bhagavata

Posted on May 15, 2026 | Leave a comment

“Bhagavata: Member of the earliest recorded Hindu sect, representing the beginnings of theistic, devotional worship and modern Vaishnavism. The Bhagavata sect originated in the Mathura region c.3rd—2nd century BC and spread through western, northern, and southern India. The faith centers on devotion to a personal god, variously called Vishnu, Krishna, Hari, or Narayana. The Bhagavadgita (1st—2nd century AD) is the earliest exposition of the Bhagavata system, but it central scripture is the Bhagavata Purana. The sect was prominent within Vaishnavism until the 11th century, when bhakti (devotional worship) was revitalized by Ramanuja.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

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The Weekly Text, 15 May 2026, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Week III: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Sikhism

Posted on May 15, 2026 | Leave a comment

For the third Friday of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2026, the Weekly Text is this reading on Sikhism along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. Like just about everything I post during themed history months, this article derives from one of the books (the first one, actually) in the Intellectual Devotional series. Basically, these documents are a miniature research assignment.

And, like just about everything you’ll find on this website, these documents are formatted in Microsoft Word for ease of adaptation and other manipulation.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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Cultural Literacy: Upanishads

Posted on May 8, 2026 | Leave a comment

Last but not least this morning, here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the Upanishads. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of one sentence and one comprehension question.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

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9 Rasa

Posted on May 8, 2026 | Leave a comment

“9 Rasa: Sengaram * Hasyam * Raudram * Karunyam * Bibhatsam * Bhayanakam * Viram * Abduhtam * Santam

The Nine Rasa are a culture refrain underlying Indian popular art, music, theater, comics, and cinema. They are noisy, plebeian, and fun-loving.

Sengaram (love, attractiveness, and the erotic) is presided over by Lord Vishnu and colored light green. Hasyam (laughter, mirth, and comedy) is presided over by Pramata and colored white. Raudram (fury) is presided over by Rudra and colored red. Karunyam (compassion and tragedy) has Yama as its presiding deity and is colored grey. Bibhatsam (disgust, aversion, and the pathetic) is presided over by Shiva and colored blue. Bhayanakam (horror) is presided over by Kali and colored black. Viram (heroic endeavor) has as its presiding deity Indra, and is colored yellow. Abdhutam (wonder and amazement) has Lord Brahma and is colored bright yellow. Santam (peace and tranquility) has the presiding deity of Vishnu and is colored blue.”

Excerpted from: Rogerson, Barnaby. Rogerson’s Book of Numbers: The Culture of Numbers–from 1,001 Nights to the Seven Wonders of the World. New York: Picador, 2013.

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