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 […]
Philosophy begins: Why Thales? Read More »
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
The center of the universe Read More »
“In Athens haircuts and hairstyles had social and political implications. Aristocratic horsemen still wore long braids and gold hairpins. The common man (and the politicians who spoke for him) preferred a short cut, though not quite a crew cut. The customer sat on a low stool, his body draped in a sheet to catch the shorn locks. The barber then cropped and curled the hair, anointed the head with scented oil, and trimmed the beard to a neat point. (At Athens any man with a long unkempt bead ran the risk of being mistaken for a philosopher).”
Facial hair and philosophers Read More »
Chapter Two of my book is now available online. This chapter traces the decline of epistemology from Kant’s “Copernican Revolution” to the dominance in the nineteenth-century of speculation and irrationalism, setting the stage for the collapse of reason in the twentieth century, which is the subject of Chapter Three.
The Counter-Enlightenment Attack on Reason Read More »
“Every building is like a person. Single and unrepeatable.”
In class: “Every building is like a person. Single and unrepeatable.” Read More »
At a hotel recently I was zooming up in its sleek elevator to my room when I noticed something: no 13th floor.
The 13th floor and other superstitions Read More »
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
Roark and Keating: first meetings Read More »
The essayist Joseph Epstein tells a story about going to his high school reunion. As the participants took their seats at the dinner tables, they each found a note left there anonymously. The note contained a poem: “It’s not the world. And what I have to say to those who don’t fit in is, don’t