I did not know that in 1818 a younger Arthur Schopenhauer, aged 30, made a trip to Florence, Italy, where he pursued love. Unfortunately for Arthur, it didn’t go well. “After a number of rejections, he decided that ‘only the male intellect, clouded by the sexual impulse, could call the undersized, narrow-shouldered, broad-hipped, and short-legged […]
Schopenhauer in and out of love Read More »
Anton Chekhov is a great writer, in large part because he follows ruthlessly a principle of selectivity named after him: “Chekhov’s gun” is principle of writing that says that every element in a narrative must be essential and irreplaceable, and anything that is neither must be eliminated. But I don’t like reading Chekhov. I read
Chekhov’s artistic choices (and the artist as a god) Read More »
This post lists 71 interesting facts about Tennessee Williams, in honor of the 71 years of his life. Item 19 is: “I don’t believe in individual guilt. I don’t think people are responsible for what they do. We are products of circumstances that determine what we do. That’s why I think capital punishment’s an outrage.”
Tennessee Williams on the death penalty Read More »
In the history of ethics, the debate over the meaning of life has generated four broad positions: 1. The meaning of life is to flourish by creating value both materially and psychologically through one’s career, friendships, loves, and avocations. Examples here include Aristotelian eudaimonism, some sub-types of utilitarianism, and Objectivism.The good life should be a
Genghis Khan on joy and the meaning of life Read More »
In my Philosophy of Art course, we’ve been reading Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy for the last two weeks, and we can add him to the list posted here of intellectuals across the ages bemoaning the poverty of their own time’s culture. Nietzsche on mid-19th century Germany: “What else, in the desolate waste of
More on “the constant decline of civilization” Read More »
Stephen Hicks discusses Existentialism’s less-than-optimistic view of life and its implications for education. This is from Part 11 of his Philosophy of Education course. Clips 1-2: Previous: Individualism? Next: [Part 12: Objectivism] Objectivist Philosophy Return to the Philosophy of Education page. Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.
Contra the good-news-sunny-skies approach to life Read More »