In reading some of the work of Pierre Hadot, who is largely responsible for the contemporary debate about philosophy as a way of life, it seems to me there is a fundamental tension between philosophy inspired by a sense of wonder with a commitment to pursue the truth come what may vs. philosophy as aContinue reading “Philosophy is Not About Consolation”
Author Archives: Dwight Furrow
Sent Forth to Die in a Happy City
In “The Plague,” Camus’ theme was fascism. The final paragraph in that book surely resonates with the news today and the deeply pernicious way fascism takes root in a culture: He knew what those jubilant crowds did not know but could have learned from books: that the plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good;Continue reading “Sent Forth to Die in a Happy City”
The Silent Art
We often think of imagination as an ability to invent fantastic images or create original patterns in media such as musical notes, words, or images. But I think this misses the heart of imagination. The most important role of imagination is a capacity to create new possibilities, to create new structures of experience and discloseContinue reading “The Silent Art”
The Value of Metaphysics
Originally published at Three Quarks Daily. Among the ideas in the history of philosophy most worthy of an eye-roll is Aristotle’s claim that the study of metaphysics is the highest form of eudaimonia (variously translated as “happiness” or “flourishing”) of which human beings are capable. The metaphysician is allegedly happier than even the philosopher whoContinue reading “The Value of Metaphysics”
On Conversion Experiences
Religions have always relied on the idea of a conversion experience. But conversion experiences are essential to many of the characterizations of philosophy as a way of life. Plato’s allegory of the cave where one transitions from the corrupt sensible world to the incorruptible world of the spirit; the Stoic intuition of the presence ofContinue reading “On Conversion Experiences”
A Dangerous Idea
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill [Hill was a mid-20th Century author of self help books] This is utter bullshit and dangerous. The idea that we make our own reality and that an independent reality exercises no restraint on what we do is silly, as isContinue reading “A Dangerous Idea”
The American “Character”
Prior to the emergence of Covid19, I would have predicted that Americans would find a way to confront the challenge of a once in a century pandemic. I’m not naïve or sanguine about the wisdom of the American public or its leaders. In fact, I’m usually pretty cynical about the U.S. But we’ve faced commonContinue reading “The American “Character””
How to Pay Attention
Much of life is about paying attention. If you take in as much of what is happening around as you can, there is likely to be something in that fire hose of information that is useful, requires your care, or that surprises you. By paying attention to what’s going on around us, we can deflectContinue reading “How to Pay Attention”
Served Cold
Like a brand burned on his soul, he still remembers the moment he received his grade in biochem that flunked him out of medical school. The chill drizzle. The hum and clatter of students passing as he found his name on the grade list hanging askew on the bulletin board in the hall. The feelingsContinue reading “Served Cold”
Ontology and Ways of Living
If philosophy is to become practical, it must make room for individuals. The traditional way in which we approach ontology fails on this standard. The job of ontology is to understand the nature of being, what it means to exist. Traditional ontology understands being by tracing our conceptual representations of beings in terms of theirContinue reading “Ontology and Ways of Living”
What Parts of the Past Does the Future Need?
How is our past related to our (waking) dreams, the kind of dream referenced in the admonition to “follow your dreams?” The past creates those dreams, the threads of memory weaving a future that feels continuous, one that we might plausibly own, at least in our imaginations. Yet those threads of memory can be aContinue reading “What Parts of the Past Does the Future Need?”
To Go Off the Rails is the Human Condition
The great conservative manifesto that one must stand athwart history yelling “stop!” is ultimately corrosive. That screed will drift away from reality and become a rigid, abstract ideology that enforces a systematically false picture of how the world works. This is what has happened to conservatism. Change happens no matter how hard you resist it.Continue reading “To Go Off the Rails is the Human Condition”
On Miracles
There are no uncaused events. If miracles are uncaused events, then there are no miracles. But the unexpected, the never-before-seen, the unlikely, the novel surely do exist. We can be astonished by what we don’t know and live in territories where mystery abounds without endorsing metaphysical nonsense.
Calculation
An imitator is afraid of looking like a fool; an original is afraid of being one.
Build a Better Person
Most educators believe that education builds a better person, a person more knowledgeable, more aware, better able to communicate, highly motivated, and more adept at solving the full range of problems that arise in life. I suspect that most educators think this is the primary goal of education. Doesn’t it then follow that the testContinue reading “Build a Better Person”
Philosophy: A Way of Life 