Blog
How far can this philosophy of living go with Buddhism?
July 4, 2015
I just realized a new rapprochement with Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. That might seem surprising, since this philosophy of living—this way of living—has a spiritual core of faith that leads to the realization of the indwelling presence of the spirit of God, friendship with God, and prayer and worship. Here’s how it goes. The first noble truth has to do with dukkha, usually translated as “pain” or “suffering,” though it is understood… Read More
A secular view of life as art: the strongest alternative I’ve seen to my philosophy of living
June 27, 2015
The best alternative I have read to my philosophy of living takes a contemporary and secular turn which stimulates us to think anew. I believe I serve you best here by simply setting forth the position rather than by adding my replies. John Kekes, in The Art of Life (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2002), writes about the good life and gives several overlapping reasons why it is to be regarded as an… Read More
Andrea McGhee’s dramatic discovery in nature
June 20, 2015
As a guest blog this week I want to present an experience report based on Andrea McGhee’s project in aesthetics of nature. First, I’ll present the short, dramatic version. Next, for those who are interested, I include the full paper to give you an idea of what a full project report looked like in Aesthetics. The lesson is that we don’t get the highlights without the less dramatic preparation. I am grateful to have had… Read More
The porosity of fact, situation, and mind
June 13, 2015
A quiet, humble, and bright student with whom I once had the pleasure to work would ask questions about facts that were not in dispute. Not just one question; sometimes three or four. Feeling initially confident about my grasp of the fact, then finding myself unable to answer the questions, I was delighted to discover what I called the porosity of fact. The metaphor comes from the physics of the atom: solid enough to get… Read More
Are words like “homophobic” the right words?
June 6, 2015
A friend of mine referred to a mutual friend as “Islamophobic” and I disagreed. I said, “Islamophobia” is a psychiatric diagnosis which you have no justification for making. It implies extreme fear. I support my friend’s intention to challenge stereotypes and to stand up for the humanity in every person. But the term he used promotes another dismissive stereotype. He thanked me for my intervention. We hear the word “homophobic” often, too. But take four… Read More
Mencius, William James, and positive attitude in daily life
May 30, 2015
What a cliché! But I used to think that I was a teacher of positive attitude in class. Wonder why I found myself this afternoon, about to leave for a four-day trip, consumed with worries. Then I recognized: What’s this? Then I turned to you-know-Whom. Then I found a different attitude, a sense of adventure with my unseen Companion. Later on I generalized the attitude to cosmic evolution, and then found an application with a… Read More
Living the truth, and the Apostle Paul in prison, thinking
May 23, 2015
Approached intellectually, the task is impossible. There are truths of fact, meaning, and value. At the high end, we can speak of truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience. But the intellect of itself cannot integrate and unify those truths in a human life precisely because the intellect remains on the levels of truths—propositions, statements, judgments. The conscientious intellect can never satisfy itself that it is adequately touching all the relevant bases; after all,… Read More
Can a great blessing attend the death of a guy who is cutting down a tree in your backyard?
May 16, 2015
Every now and then a great blessing lands, and you know it’s not only for you—it’s for others. Mike Vavras became a hero to me in three meetings. On the first, I learned that he cut down trees for free so long as he could take the timber home as logs to burn to heat his home in the winter. We met in the fall and made the arrangement for this spring: he would… Read More
How growing up near the beach can set up the rest of your life
May 8, 2015
Michael Hill wrote this beautiful comment to the previous post on walking (juggling) in beauty, and I wanted it to be my first guest blog. While I retired from the “hectic” life not yet five years ago, when I look back on it, it is but a tiny speck in the far-away distance of the past. Actually, I learned early on of the detriments of an over-busy life some years before I retired and moved… Read More