March 8, 2016 Dr. John Cowan spoke to our club on March 8. Having Studied Physics and physiology at the University of Toronto, Dr. Cowan spent 24 years at the University of Ottawa as professor, Chair of Physiology and Vice Rector ultimately becoming Principal of the Royal Military College of Canada from 1999 to 2008. Dr. Cowan has been extensively involved in defense issues from terrorism and asymmetric threats to defense education, and has ‘flown over 60 aircraft types’ accounting for some deafness due to thousands of hours in (Harvards) training aircraft. Titled “The Educated Citizen and Democracy”, Dr. Cowan’s discourse was in defense of liberal education in democratic society where there is much emphasis placed on acquiring a specialized education. He started out indicating that the word democracy has received a global work out in recent years, having much to do with the prominence of the U.S. form of democracy. That being said, there are many forms of democracy but all are a form of group decision making. Those decisions may not always be good decisions but hopefully they are for the betterment of the majority. Continue reading “John Cowan – The Educated Citizen & Democracy”
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