One hundred years ago (in 1921), Dominican preacher and philosopher Antonin-Gilbert Sertillanges wrote a book that is still read today. Its title, The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods, reveals its focus on practical guidance to anyone wishing to pursue the intellectual vocation. Here is a short passage from the book: "One is not dazzled, … Continue reading Sertillanges on Intellectual Life
Frantz Fanon on Identity Drama
Our identities are shaped and exist in relation to others. The way others relate to me and the way I can relate to them is fundamental to my sense of self, of who I am. When relationships play such a crucial role, some amount of drama is inevitable. However, we can become the prisoners of … Continue reading Frantz Fanon on Identity Drama
What Is A Good Book? Philosophical Response
What do we mean when we evaluate a book as good or bad? Let's take a philosophical look at it.
One Sentence to Close and Start the Year
Happy, joyful, wonderful New Year to you! Let this quote inspire you to slow down, reflect, and emerge more grounded.
Can We Understand Meaning Without Language?
Is language fundamental to our understanding and interpretation of experiences? Can something be experienced as meaningful without our participation in a language-world and its structures of meaning? Would we even consider something an experience if we couldn't make sense (i.e., create a meaningful unity relying on meaning structures we inhabit) of that "something" we encountered? … Continue reading Can We Understand Meaning Without Language?
Spreading the Word: Art, Understanding, Meaning
Can art be a channel of understanding? Does it have a claim to truth, to knowledge? What comes first, understanding or knowing? Does art have a part to play in our processes of meaning-making? These are just some of the fascinating and stimulating questions explored in the video I share with you today. It is … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Art, Understanding, Meaning
Spreading the Word: When Words and Worlds Collide
Does it matter how we name things? Do words influence our worldviews? A curious case of renaming a dinosaur suggests there is more to words and worlds relation than meets the eye. Check out this fascinating article over on aeon, "A dinosaur is a story". Enjoy! Keeping up the "Spreading the Word" tradition, I hope … Continue reading Spreading the Word: When Words and Worlds Collide
Philosophical Quote About Our Self-Understanding
"We always find ourselves within a situation, and throwing light on it is a task that is never entirely finished. This is also true of the hermeneutic situation—i.e., the situation in which we find ourselves with regard to the tradition that we are trying to understand. The illumination of this situation—reflection on effective history—can never … Continue reading Philosophical Quote About Our Self-Understanding
Quote About Understanding As Meaning-Creation
A quote on understanding as a way of creating meaning, from German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer's book, Truth and Method.
Spreading the Word: Different Worlds We Experience
When we experience the world and interpret its meaning, it is not so much "I'll believe it when I see it", it is rather "I will see it if I believe it". And - in the way that I believe it to be. Curious? Then you might be interested in this short BBC Ideas video: … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Different Worlds We Experience
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