The Humanities. Yeah.

Spring                                                         Beltane Moon “Reminding us that “professor” means someone professing a faith, Delbanco exhorts us to keep the etymology alive: “Surely this meaning is one to which […]

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I (heart) Religion

Imbolc                               Waning Bridget Moon Some people like NASCAR, others quilting, some the middle ages, some middle age.  Tastes and attractions vary for often indiscernible reasons.  Me, I like religions.  Most of them anyhow.  Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Taoism, Celtic Faery Faith, ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian, Voodoo, Native American, Mayan, Aztec, Hawai’ian, Tibetan […]

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Still Examining

Imbolc                                                        Waxing Bridgit Moon Greg Membres, my Latin tutor, recommended a film, The Examined Life.  You may have seen it already since it was made in 2008, but it’s a powerful introduction to some fundamental philosophical questions like ethics, the meaning of life, political theory. One truth struck me more powerfully than any other while […]

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An Ancientrail, Still Traveled

Samhain                                                  Waxing Thanksgiving Moon Tracking down a quote from a Mary Oliver book led me to Plato and to his Symposium, in particular a portion dedicated to the mysteries of love.  It reminded me of my initial excitement in studying philosophy, created in large part by J. Harry Cotton, a professioral stereotype at Wabash College.  […]

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Oh, You’re So Pragmatic.

Summer                                    Full Strawberry Moon “My experience is what I agree to attend to.” – William James Pragmatism and pragmatists are an original American (US) contribution to the history of Western philosophy.  Since I can’t get my hands around it well, I’ll not try to explain it, though on its on my list. But.  William James […]

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En-Theos

Spring                                      Awakening Moon If you know me, you know I have enthusiasms.  Two or three years in astronomy.  Two years of close study of Jungian thought.    9 years of touring and two and a half years of education in art history.  A full years home study course in horticulture.  We’re now in our third year […]

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Pyrrho of Elis

Imbolc                                          Waning Wild Moon OK.  So I’m listening to the history of Western Philosophy on the way into the museum today.  The lecturer starts going on about Pyrrho of Elis.  I thought.  Cool.  Not only is the name of his hometown near my own, he was the originator of radical skepticism, which boils down to […]

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Worlds Opening Up

Imbolc                                     Waning Wild Moon On the way into St. Paul tonight I listened to lectures on Epicureanism, Stoicism and Skepticism.  These were especially relevant and resonant for me since Latin is the native language of many who took them up, though their roots were in Greece.  They got me excited about reading Cicero and Polybius, […]

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Pragmatically Speaking

Imbolc                                     Full Wild Moon “Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” – William James William James helped found and expand the American philosophical tradition of Pragmatism.  This is not a publicly well known school of philosophy, partly because it does not lend itself well […]

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What Good Is Philosophy?

Imbolc                            Waxing Wild Moon “Science is what you know, philosophy is what you don’t know.” – Bertrand Russell In spite of what I said yesterday I have listened to the opening lectures on of a history of philosophy course.  In the first lecture the professor teased out three notions of what philosophy is:  1.  A […]

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