Stephen James Blackwood (born 1975) is a Canadian-American professor, academic, and social commentator.[2]

Stephen J. Blackwood
Born1975 (age 48–49)
NationalityCanada (by birth); United States (since 2009)
Occupation(s)Professor, activist
Academic background
EducationUniversity of King's College (BA)
Dalhousie University (MA)
Emory University (PhD)
ThesisThe Meters of Boethius: Rhythmic Therapy in the Consolation of Philosophy (2010)
Doctoral advisorMark D. Jordan[1]
Academic work
Institutions
Websitestephenjblackwood.com

Blackwood is the founder and president of Ralston College, a liberal arts college awaiting accreditation in Savannah, Georgia.

Early life and education edit

Blackwood was born in Alberta, Canada, and grew up in Prince Edward Island as the eldest of ten children. He received a B.A. from the University of King's College and an M.A. from Dalhousie University. Blackwood earned his PhD in religion from Emory University in 2010, with Mark D. Jordan as his doctoral advisor.[3][4]

Career edit

Blackwood lectures and writes on the intellectual and cultural development of the West, and specializes in the history of philosophy,[5] especially Boethius.[6][7][8] Oxford University Press published his book The Consolation of Boethius as Poetic Liturgy in 2015.[9][10]

Blackwood was a founding executive director of St George's YouthNet,[11][12] an educational mentoring program for inner-city youth in the North End district of Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was subsequently a teaching fellow in the Foundation Year Programme[13] at the University of King's College.[14] He is a member of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism[15] and sits on the Board of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation.[16]

He has argued in defense of the integrity of the private sphere[17] and in opposition to Obamacare.[18] His op-ed[19] in the Wall Street Journal about his mother's loss of her cancer coverage as a consequence of the Affordable Care Act was read on the floor of the US Senate and entered into the Congressional Record.[20][21][22]

Blackwood was the host and moderator of a conversation between Jordan Peterson and Sir Roger Scruton at Cambridge University on November 2, 2018.[23][24] He also moderated a debate called “Happiness: Capitalism vs. Marxism” between Slavoj Žižek and Peterson on April 19, 2019.[25]

Ralston College edit

Blackwood founded Ralston College in 2010[26] as a non-profit liberal arts college. Blackwood serves as the president of the college alongside Jordan Peterson as the college's chancellor.[27][28] Ralston College began its first classes in 2022 for graduate students, though the college remains unaccredited.[29][30][31]

References edit

  1. ^ https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/4m90dw06d?locale=en
  2. ^ Fish, Stanley Eugene (November 8, 2010). "The Woe-Is-Us Books". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  3. ^ Blackwood, Stephen James. "The Meters of Boethius: Rhythmic Therapy in the Consolation of Philosophy". etd.library.emory.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  4. ^ "Stephen J. Blackwood website". Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  5. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (2006). "Songs of Salvation: Diogenes of Oinoanda and Epicurean Hymnody". Pagani e Cristiani alla Ricerca della Salvezza (Secoli I–III), Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum. Vol. 96. Rome: Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum (XXXIV Incontro di Studiosi dell’Antichità Cristiana). pp. 379–394. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2014-09-10.
  6. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (2002). "Philosophia's Dress: Prayer in Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy". Dionysius. XX: 139–152. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  7. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (2007). "Mixing Ancient Beats: Boethius and the Power of Poetic Meter" (PDF). 2007 Annual Conference on Christian Philosophy: Boethius. Franciscan University of Steubenville. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-07. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  8. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (2009). "Flēbĭlĭs heū maēstōs cōgŏr ĭnīrĕ mŏdōs: Boethius and Rhythmic Power". In Achard, Martin [in French]; Hankey, Wayne; Narbonne, Jean-Marc [in French] (eds.). Perspectives sur le Néoplatonisme. Presses de l'Université Laval. ISBN 978-2763787022. PDF Table of Contents
  9. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (2015). The 'Consolation' of Boethius as Poetic Liturgy. Oxford University Press. p. 398. ISBN 978-0198718314.
  10. ^ Nielsen, Melinda (January 20, 2016). "Stephen Blackwood, 'The Consolation of Boethius as Poetic Liturgy.' Oxford Early Christian Studies". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania: Bryn Mawr Commentaries, Inc. ISSN 1055-7660. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  11. ^ St George's YouthNet (2014). "St George's YouthNet". Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  12. ^ St George's YouthNet (2014). "History". Archived from the original on 2014-06-22. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  13. ^ St Thomas's, Huron Street (2009). "Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy". Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  14. ^ King's College. "Foundation Year Programme". Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  15. ^ "The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism". 8 February 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  16. ^ Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation. "Dr Stephen Blackwood". Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  17. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (January 15, 2015). "Who among us has not said privately something that, if made public, would destroy us?". The National Post. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  18. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (February 23, 2014). "ObamaCare and My Mother's Cancer Medicine". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  19. ^ Blackwood, Stephen (February 23, 2014). "ObamaCare and My Mother's Cancer Medicine". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  20. ^ Wicker, Roger (February 24, 2014). Remarks on the floor of the US Senate (TV News Archive). C-Span.
  21. ^ "Senate record" (PDF). Congressional Record. 113th Congress: S994–S995. February 24, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  22. ^ Wicker, Roger (March 3, 2014). "Weekly Report". Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  23. ^ Peterson, Jordan. "Sir Roger Scruton/Dr. Jordan B. Peterson: Apprehending the Transcendent". YouTube.
  24. ^ "Sir Roger Scruton & Dr. Jordan Peterson hosted by the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism". Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  25. ^ "Jordan Peterson, Slavoj Zizek each draw fans at sold-out debate". The Toronto Star. April 19, 2019.
  26. ^ "Business Filings of Ralston College Inc". Georgia Corporations Division. August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  27. ^ "Pope Center Authors: Stephen Blackwood". Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  28. ^ Ralston College. "People". Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  29. ^ Ralston College. "Ralston College". Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  30. ^ Few, Jenel. "Highbrow hopes for higher ed in Savannah". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  31. ^ "Colleges Are Failing in Their Fundamental Mission, but There's Still Hope". Foundation for Economic Education. 31 January 2021.

External links edit