Category: Philosophy
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On Scepticism
A personal discussion on the aesthetics of philosophical disagreement, and notes on an intuitionist epistemology. S.R., I have always, more or less, been fond of Plato’s use of myth. I’ve often been reminded, at times, of what we commonly refer to as his “Noble Lie,” that, in order for his theoretical politeia (which we often…
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Just trust the winds that move
A personal letter on stagnation and melancholy. S.R., As you’ve often brought to my attention, but which I’ve had difficulty in assimilating, there is no reason in the world to fret, to fray, to come undone in sadness, or in grief. It is the unfortunate reality of our composition that we are subject to these…
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On Bad Philosophy
A personal letter on skepticism, intellectual hubris, and ‘good’ philosophical traits. S.R., A moment ago, you struck a chord in me. “What makes a good philosopher?” I had, with a not-so-slight smugness and pomp, begun some convoluted diatribe while reflecting upon my undergraduate studies in philosophy. And in a moment I’d been stopped in my…
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On Regret
A letter on our peculiar fondness for the past, and a prescription for our negative emotions regarding it. S.R., I dare say that our longing for the past is a particularly modern phenomenon. By this I do not mean to say that my knowledge of classical literature (which is only really confined to the Western…
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The Philosophy of Letters
On the shortness of life, immortality and leaving something to be remembered by. Just earlier today I’d received a letter in the post from someone dear. And just a moment ago, reading Michel du Montaigne’s Essais, I stumbled upon this passage: “I have dedicated it [the Essais] to the private convenience of my relatives and…
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On Philosophical Meditation
A personal letter on the use of meditation in the Stoic sources, and elsewhere. S.R., I’ve recently, in the past month, gotten into the habit of meditation, though not the kind advised by the Stoics, but rather a vaguely Eastern iteration – a kind of mindfulness. There is a passage in the Meditations wherein Marcus…
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On the Charm of Philosophy
A personal letter on what exactly attracts us to philosophize. S.R., There are a number of conceptions of philosophy, and what it is that we “do” in “doing” philosophy. That it is intellectual rigor. That it is rational discourse. That it is, in a letter of Seneca’s, “good advice” (38.1). And while I agree with…
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On Goodbyes
A personal letter on attachment, self-sufficiency, and the difficulties that come with taking leave of others. S.R., Just a few hours ago I said goodbye to a good friend of mine, perhaps for the last time. We’ve parted in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang, and she is currently on her way to Bangkok. I’m…
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On Mortality
A personal letter on a near-fatal injury, and my coping through philosophy. “How strange then that Socrates should have been so treated by the Athenians. Slave, why do you say Socrates? Speak of the thing as it is: how strange that the poor body of Socrates should have been carried off and dragged to prison…
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On Lucian’s Hermotimus
On the intractability of philosophical disagreement, and what this means for philosophical theory and practice S.R., I’ve been gripped these days, more so by the fear than by the thought, that our adherence to philosophies of life is the result, not of reason, but of some psychological disposition. That we have, in light of our…
