Category Archives: Philosophy

To whom does one owe a greater debt of allegiance: ancestors or descendants? Put another way, does piety for the past or faith in the future warrant the larger investment of our intellectual resources? I think of this every time I see Confederate flags displayed in … Continue reading →

Some people spend a lifetime trying to find out who they are. At some point, after years  of play acting, after decades of reacting to millions of outside influences, the fact that one’s own personality is buried deeply beneath layers of judgment and protectionism … Continue reading →

I just read a provocative article entitled #JeNeSuisPasLiberal: Entering the Quagmire of Online Leftism, that articulates, in a way I have been incapable of doing, the odd antagonisms between what is broadly called “the left.” David Auerback, the author, argues that people … Continue reading →

The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the body responsible for setting the “Doomsday Clock,” recently adjusted the hands of the clock forward by two minutes to 11:57 p.m.  And so, the metaphor for the risk of … Continue reading →

For quite some time, I’ve been reading bits and pieces about Alan Watts, the British philosopher and writer whose most popular book, I think, is The Way of Zen.  I’ve not read the book, but I want to. But first, … Continue reading →

You can tell by watching and listening to a person whether there’s youth “in there.”  Age has nothing whatsoever to do with it.  It’s entirely about attitude.  Look for silliness. Look for whimsy. Look for a child who doesn’t care … Continue reading →

Occasionally, I see the world through an uncommonly vivid set of lenses.  There is greater clarity, more understanding, and considerably deeper appreciation of what is around me. It happens when I read another person’s personal perspectives about the world in which they … Continue reading →