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Practically Idealistic blog
 
The title for this blog originated with use of the term “practical idealist” in this 1996 opinion piece, which asked: “To what kind of work should a practical idealist aspire?” A century and a half earlier, Emerson, in his 1841 essay Circles, wrote: “There are degrees in idealism.  We learn first to play with it academically. . . .  Then we see in the heyday of youth and poetry that it may be true, that it is true in gleams and fragments.  Then, its countenance waxes stern and grand, and we see that it must be true.  It now shows itself ethical and practical.”  John Dewey and Mahatma Gandhi embraced practical idealism in the 20th century, as did UN Secretary General U Thant.  Al Gore invoked it in a 1998 speech. In the context of this blog, the term is meant to convey idealism tempered but not overwhelmed by realism: a search for the ideal on a path guided by common sense.
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Saturday, November 17, 2012

Yale National Initiative, Conference

The Yale National Initiative to strengthen teaching in public schools recently held its annual national conference.  Yale News ran a related article and slide show.

7:59 am est 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Veterans Day

For Veterans Day, NPR has collected “Stories of Heroes and Homecoming.”

A July 2012 (July 4) post addressed “Independence Day – and Our Debt to Those in Military Service.”

2:25 pm est 


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