Reggio Emilia preschool piazza (common space) It’s generally a good idea to get to know and learn from people you want to teach before you try to teach them anything. Here’s something huge that I just learned from Howard Gardner, who has probably reached more people with a message about the …
Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
Dr. Perry On December 22 when I posted the moving story of Taitetsu Unno’s ministry to the woman in the hospital, I did not know that he had died a few days earlier. Mark Unno, his equally brilliant and accomplished son, also a philosopher and Shin Buddhist priest, told me that during his …
Continue Reading about Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
Dr. Perry On December 22 when I posted the moving story of Taitetsu Unno’s ministry to the woman in the hospital, I did not know that he had died a few days earlier. Mark Unno, his equally brilliant and accomplished son, also a philosopher and Shin Buddhist priest, told me that during his …
Continue Reading about Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
What happened to spirit and spiritual experience during the first 2300 years of Western philosophy?
Rafael, The School of Athens Here are a few highlights from the history of philosophy showing an interesting variety of views regarding spiritual experience. Heraclitus around 500 BCE wrote that the god [daimon, indwelling divine spirit] is home [ethos] for a human being. Then Parmenides around 475 …
Three types of religion: self-interested, intrinsic, and adventure (with Gandhi quotes)
What’s the evidence that religion makes a difference in a person’s level of altruism? Pretty slim, depending how religion is defined. People who go through the motions of being religious but are basically motivated by self-interest . . . well, what do you think? Right. No difference between external …
New Year’s resolutions and Jesus’ decisions in the wilderness
There is a custom of making a New Year’s resolution, for example: This year I will get organized. These resolutions are notoriously impotent. By contrast, a decision launches an action or a course of action: Today I will spend an hour organizing my work space. If this is to count as a decision in …
Continue Reading about New Year’s resolutions and Jesus’ decisions in the wilderness
