The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “An ancient myth tells of a poor young man who found a magical ring. The young man’s name was Gyges. He was a shepherd, responsible for tending his village’s sheep as they grazed in the summer meadows away in the hills. His job was lonely, poorly paid,
Are We Too Wicked for Freedom? [new The Good Life column] Read More »
Which philosopher writes the most mind-numbingly long sentences? Ken Brown sends in a new contender — a 179 word-marathon from John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism: “But inasmuch as the cultivation in ourselves of a sensitive feeling on the subject of veracity, is one of the most useful, and the enfeeblement of that feeling one of the
New addition in Philosophy’s Longest Sentences competition Read More »
Em colunas anteriores, tratamos sobre sexo e dinheiro. Agora, vamos falar de poder. Assim como o sexo e o dinheiro — e a maioria das coisas importantes da vida — muitas bobagens são ditas sobre o poder. Talvez a principal de todas elas seja a frase frequentemente citada “o poder corrompe, e o poder absoluto corrompe absolutamente”. Através de
O poder não corrompe — o caráter é o que realmente importa Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Romance is in the air, and even the lovers of wisdom are not immune from its allure. “So here is a round-up of philosophers talking to their sweethearts – collected from conversations overheard at smoky cafés, college libraries, mountain paths, and seminar rooms the world over. The Aristotelian: “I
“Should I Marry You?” Answers From the Philosophers [new The Good Life column] Read More »
My page devoted to posts and essays in Intellectual History has been updated to include recent posts: * Unamuno on Kant on God in the first two Critiques. * Heine versus Nietzsche on obscurantism in philosophy. * Should We Thank Coffee for Modern Civilization? * Burckhardt quotation on the birth of individualism in the Italian
Intellectual History page updated, February 2014 Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Intelligence is a human being’s most important asset. “One sign of this is the amount of time we spend educating our young. For some species, such as squirrels and hawks, the learning necessary to become a full adult is acquired in a matter of months. For more
Esquizofrênico, adjetivo: de, relacionado a, ou caracterizado pela coexistência de elementos incompatíveis ou antagônicos. Vamos falar sobre uma razão pela qual a política nos torna um pouco loucos — sua mistura incoerente de leis e regulamentações. (Aviso: metáfora exagerada à frente) Não somente a mão esquerda com frequência não sabe o que a direita está fazendo:
A política esquizofrênica — sexo, saúde, religião, dinheiro e outras coisas importantes Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Honestly now: Do you have what it takes? We all like to think we’re smarter than average, but the math is cruel. Half of us are below median intelligence, and some of us are considerably lower. So why should we think that freedom is a good policy for everyone?
Are You Smart Enough to Live in a Free Society? [new The Good Life column] Read More »