Michael Picard
Dr. Michael Picard is an instructor at SFU and in Douglas College's Department of Philosophy and Humanities. He is especially fond of the history of ideas.
He has taught logic and the history of infinity, history of psychology, professional and applied ethics, ethical theory, psychology and social theory, perception and cognition, philosophy of science and mathematics, and ancient philosophy east and west.
He is the author of This is Not a Book: Adventures in Popular Philosophy, which has been translated into French, Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Estonian.
Why did you become a Philosopher’s Café moderator?
Originally, I became a Philosophy Café moderator after finding myself without an academic position. But I stayed on for the fun of it. Along the way, I developed a literary voice that speaks philosophy to the everyday wonderer without watering down its rigours.
What is the most rewarding part of moderating?
Things I like about moderating philosophy dialogue: the repartee, the tense play of sharply opposing opinions, the meeting and not-quite-meeting of minds, the artful doubters, the difficult questions, the puns, the camaraderie, the celebrity, the effect of sunshine on prejudice, and the peaceful silencing of pretensions to know.
Things I like least: the unartful dodgers, hurtful humour, supremacist mysterians, bleating triumphalism, well-clothed prejudices; those deaf to difference who listen only to themselves; imperialists of reason; complacency in self-contradiction.
