1st lesson free
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Open Source
- Rate $50
- Response 1h
$50/h
Contact
1st lesson free
- History
- Philosophy
- Current events
- Geopolitics
- History of philosophy
University Instructor with a PhD from Wisconsin–Madison and Degrees from Northwestern, Cambridge, and Chicago Teaches World Religions, Human History, Global Philosophy, and Technology
- History
- Philosophy
- Current events
- Geopolitics
- History of philosophy
Lesson location
About Open Source
I am Dr. James Powell, a university instructor who has taught in the University of Wisconsin System since 1997, including online since 2010. Truthfully, I can never get enough time to talk about religion and philosophy. Because my current University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee courses are asynchronous, meaning, I only assess student work, I especially value live conversation with students.
Using vivid visual presentations, I teach World Religions as a global-awareness course; Philosophy and Technology, exploring robots and personhood and robots, epistemology and artificial intelligence, ontology and quantum foam, among 12 other philosophy topics applied to technology; a course built around Sapiens and updated with recent scholarship; and U.S. History.
My academic journey has taken me through four distinguished institutions: a BA in Religion from Northwestern University, a BA/MA in Theology from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago, and a PhD in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in Tibetan Buddhist thought.
Raised in a Protestant minister’s family, I know Christianity from the inside, yet now approach it with the critical distance of a comparative scholar rather than as a preacher or defender of the faith. My intellectual journey eventually drew me toward Buddhist philosophy and doctoral study of Tibetan thought. Living and working in Thailand has also given me direct experience of a society shaped by very different religious and cultural assumptions.
I translate difficult ideas into plain language without oversimplifying them, and students are encouraged to challenge assumptions—including mine. What I value most is the moment when a student stops memorizing somebody else’s ideas and begins forming a thoughtful worldview of their own.
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About the lesson
- Sophomore
- Junior
- Senior
- +7
levels :
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Advanced Technical Certificate
College / University
Adult Education
Masters
Doctorate
MBA
Middle School
- French
- English
- German
- +1
All languages in which the lesson is available :
French
English
German
Thai
My lessons begin with your questions—not a predetermined conclusion. I combine visually engaging explanations with open, university-style conversation. You may stop me anywhere, challenge an argument, compare traditions, or follow an unexpected intellectual detour. My purpose is not to preach or tell you what to believe, but to help you understand humanity’s major worldviews and consciously evolve the worldview you live by.
A typical lesson begins with a question, topic, text, historical period, or current event that interests you. I provide essential background, introduce competing interpretations, and guide a thoughtful conversation connecting the material to contemporary life. Depending on your interests, we can explore world religions, Buddhism, Christianity, atheism, human evolution and history, global philosophy, consciousness, artificial intelligence, technology, ethics, or current events.
Students may also use my free Worldview Builder app and guided studies to create a personal visual “Soul Map”—a living account of their beliefs, values, practices, questions, and unresolved tensions.
These lessons are designed for university students, lifelong learners, questioning or post-religious people, thoughtful skeptics, and anyone who misses serious conversation about life’s deepest questions. No tests, grades, preaching, or pressure—unless you need structured academic support for a course or assignment.
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Rates
Rate
- $50
Pack rates
- 5h: $250
- 10h: $500
free lessons
This first lesson offered with Open Source will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.
- 1hr
online
- $50/h
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