In the Renaissance, there was a lively debate among artists and critics over which art form was the best. Cases were made for and against painting, sculpture, poetry, and music. To my mind, the debate is silly philosophically, but it is a fun and instructive exercise to compare the strengths and limitations of each art […]
Is architecture the best art form? Read More »
An Artist’s View: Michael Newberry on Key Works of Art in History Michael Newberry is a figurative painter and the author of two books released in 2021: Evolution Through Art and Newberry Color Theory. The full 29-work list is below. Michael Newberry, Commentaries on 29 Great Art Works: 1. Geometric Warrior, 8th century BCE 2.
Diego Velazquez | “Las Meninas” (1656) [Newberry on Great Art series] Read More »
(Reprising this translation by Coleman Barks) Little by little, wean yourself.This is the gist of what I have to say.From an embryo, whose nourishment comes in the blood,move to an infant drinking milk,to a child on solid food,to a searcher after wisdom,to a hunter of more invisible game. Think how it is to have a
“Wean Yourself,” Rumi Read More »
One of my all-time favorite passages from Aristotle is in his Parts of Animals (Book 1, Chapter 5).
The scientific mind, according to Aristotle Read More »
In the below documentary, a number of Heidegger scholars discuss his philosophy and its relationship to his National Socialism. For follow-up scholarship on the philosophy-politics connections: Faye (https://www.amazon.com/Heidegger-Introduction-Philosophy-Unpublished-1933-1935/dp/0300172079/) and Philipse (https://www.amazon.com/Heideggers-Philosophy-Being-Herman-Philipse/dp/0691001197) are very good, in my judgment. Related: Heidegger on metaphysics, in the Philosophers, Explained series.
Heidegger’s dark politics and philosophy: book recommendations Read More »
Trailer for this documentary on the amazing trajectory of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas’s life and career: Philosopher of law Derrick Bell was fundamentally and absolutely opposed to Thomas philosophically and politically, as expressed in this now-classic law review article published at the time:
Clarence Thomas vs. Derrick Bell [Black History Month] Read More »
What makes entrepreneurs tick? An interesting paper: “Anatomy of an Entrepreneur: Family Background and Motivation”, by Vivek Wadhwa et al., part of the Kauffman Foundation Small Research Projects. The paper’s abstract: “Entrepreneurs are among the most celebrated people in our culture. Celebrity entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, often
Entrepreneurs’ family background and motivation Read More »
What is Deconstruction? Is reason a tyranny? Did Foucault go far enough? Can insanity be liberating? Jacques Derrida’s classic essay “Cogito and the History of Madness,” in the Philosophers, Explained series.
Derrida, Deconstruction, Insanity Read More »