"To Play is to Contemplate," James Schall
"One should live out one's days playing at certain games--sacrificing, singing, and dancing." Plato, The Laws
Topic
Briefly
A collection of 250 issues
Localism is Better Because It Provides Far More Options
This is a frustrating interview.
The champions of localism, Front Porch Republic, interview an enemy of it, Trevor Latimore (author of Small Isn't Beautiful).
It's a cordial exchange, with interesting arguments/points by both sides, but Latimore's position seems to gel around this simple
Jigsaw Puzzles. Non-Stories. The Focused Life?
My father-in-law is 93 and really sharp. One thing he does to keep sharp: jigsaw puzzles. He times himself and works them serenely but with focus.
The mental exercise drips with lessons explored by Dr. Kevin Majerjes at Optimal Work: short bursts of sustained focus, little goals that
Western Civilization Hit Its Apex During Advent 1273
A civilization can, indeed, advance and decline at the same time. Eric Voegelin, New Science of Politics, 132.
As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Abraham Heschel, God in Search of Man
Modern civilization is gnostic civilization. Gnostic civilization is left-hemispheric civilization.
Gnosis: Knowledge. Specifically, explicit knowledge, the
The Difference between "Reason" and "Rationality"
Reason
Greek nous
Latin intellectus
Reason is flexible. It resists fixed formulation. It is shaped by experience. It involves the whole living being, combining the mental and physical . . . the spiritual and material. It is the intellectual glue of sacramental existence. It is characterized by intuition.
Reason is "congenial to
Zero Hedge: Decent Prose?
Robert Kiyosaki supposedly once counseled a new "creator" about the perils of good writing: "It's 'bestselling author,' not 'best-written author.'" His point: If you want to be successful online, you need to write for sales, not art. He'
The John's Penance
One thing from Chapter 11 of Tom Holland's excellent Dominion:
A clerical disciple of Abelard argued that, when determining the severity of penance for patronizing a prostitute, the woman's hotness should be taken into account.
Traveling with Your Left Hemisphere
In The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton describes traveling to an island paradise. The first morning, he sat on the beach, coconut trees leaning toward the sea, jungle-covered hills behind him. He then began to think about
a sore throat I had developed during the flight, worry over
Introducing the Non-Story
I've been noticing a new type of Internet article: Sites making podcast episodes into news stories.
The gimmick's approach: A flashy "news-like" headline, followed by a story about the podcast's content, sprinkled with quotes, which give it the feel of a
Hemisphere Video
You don't want to read the 500-page Master and his Emissary? You don't want to read the 1,500 pages that flush it all out? Try The Divided Brain. You can rent it for $1.99. In just 80 minutes, you'll understand the