Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Category: Blogging (Page 1 of 9)

These are posts on blogging from the blog Base and Superstructure. Mostly these are meta-blogging posts, where I’ll be writing a bit about what it’s like to run a blog.

A photo of three ancient busts of philosophers, including Socrates.

Ending the Semester

June 15, 2026 / / 0 Comments

After a nearly 11 year absence, I jumped back into the classroom in the spring 2026 semester. I taught the honors section of Intro to Philosophy at the University of Iowa, spending hours reworking my syllabus and retooling the course for what, at least in my mind, students might find more useful in 2026 than they did in 2015.

A few readers probably noticed this, given that I had to take a bit more time off from writing than usual. And on that note, I’ll thank regular readers for their patience. I know that post frequency moved a little closer to 3-4 posts per month rather than the usual 5 or 6.

Here are a few thoughts on how it went.

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A representation of the number 8 made out with colored M&M candies in red, brown, yellow, green, orange, and blue.

Eight Years of Blogging!

June 1, 2026 / / 0 Comments

It’s time again for one of my favorite parts of blogging – writing the annual anniversary post! So, what’s been going on in the blogging world in the last year, and how has it impacted or changed what we’re seeing on the blog?

Two things stand out on my end: first, as I’ve mentioned, I taught a section of Intro to Philosophy at the University of Iowa last semester. That took up a lot of my time, but I got a lot of enjoyment out of the class. Teaching was the topic of last week’s post, so check it out if you missed it.

Second, I’m still seeing clients in my philosophical counseling practice. While this hasn’t impacted the time I’m able to spend on blogging, I suspect my experiences with working with clients has had some level of (subconscious?) influence over my choice of topics. Clients come to me with interesting and thorny challenges, and it has been a rewarding experience.

But let’s take a moment to look at the data.

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A Break for Final Exams

May 11, 2026 / / 0 Comments

As I’ve mentioned, I’m making a return to the classroom this semester to teach a section of Intro to Philosophy at the University of Iowa.

Well, the semester’s coming to a close, and it’s final exam week! Along with everyone else associated with campus, this means I’m staying busy! When I’m not writing an exam, I’m proctoring one or grading one.

And so, I’ll be back next week at the usual time and place.

Spring Break

March 16, 2026 /

Hi everyone! I just wanted to leave a quick note that there’s going to be no Monday post this week. I’m off on a little vacation during spring break.

Yes, I’m teaching a philosophy course this semester. And it’s currently spring break. I’ll be back next Monday on my usual schedule.

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