Profits—Good, Bad, and Obscene [Good Life series]

Nobody likes to lose money, but profit generates polarized attitudes. As with most morally-charged phenomena—competition, wealth, poverty, property—getting past the often confused discussions requires some subtle distinctions. Let’s approach profit by way of an example of its opposite—an accidental destruction of property. Suppose that I’m careless and drive my car onto your yard, tearing up […]

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Goethe versus Beethoven on deference to aristocrats

From an account of the famous meeting of the two giants in 1812: Beethoven’s manners were described as rough, like “an unlicked bear,” while “Goethe’s social attitudes were shaped in a more formal age. For Beethoven, 21 years his junior, the only true aristocrats were artists. In the mythology, his disillusionment was clinched by Goethe’s

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