A 3 p.m. poem, after hours and hours of exam-week grading
Mind becomes numb; Words do not mean; World out of plumb— Man needs caffeine.
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Art
A 3 a.m. poem, after a midnight snack
Burrito. Mistake. Now stomach ache.
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Talgam and Zander on leadership and music
Two talks at TED on music, leadership, and passion. In my next life, I think I want to be a musician. Itay Talgam: Benjamin Zander: https://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_the_transformative_power_of_classical_music.
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Coexist or Uncoexist?
A vigorous culture carries on its debates at many levels and via many media, all the way down to the bumper sticker. I enjoy the cleverness that goes into many stickers, as well as the ongoing one-upmanship. These “Coexist” stickers have been around for awhile now: Islam, peace, men/women, Judaism, paganism, Taoism/Confucianism, Christianity — can’t
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Philosophy begins: Why Thales?
The standard claim is that philosophy begins with Thales. When I teach this to my students, it’s a hard sell, for here are the founding texts in philosophy — ascribed to Thales by Aristotle: “The first principle and basic nature of all things is water.” and “All things are full of gods.” You can imagine
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The center of the universe
From a favorite novel, set in Paris in the world of mid-nineteenth century theatre, a time and place of revolutionary art and politics. The protagonist, Jeanne Sorel, a young woman of wonderful intensity and resilience, remembers a key lesson from her mentor, Nandou, an actor. “She walked to the place du Calvaire and stood for
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In class: “Every building is like a person. Single and unrepeatable.”
“Every building is like a person. Single and unrepeatable.”
In class: “Every building is like a person. Single and unrepeatable.” Read More »
Roark and Keating: first meetings
I am a philosopher, and when I’m on the job I have been known to read literary works as “premises with feet.” Despite that occupational hazard I am also fascinated with how some great fiction writers can seamlessly integrate abstract philosophical themes with concrete literary portrayals. When I teach Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, my focus
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