Month: February 2011

• February 23, 2011

  How can I lead a life of the mind outside the academy? (part 2)

  This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on leading the life of the mind outside the academy. In Part 1, I examined 3 models for living well. In Part 2, I discussed what we need to do in order to change our conception of leading a life of the mind. In Part 3, I try to give a…
• February 22, 2011

  Can one lead a life of the mind in a post-patronage society?

  Update: You can also read snippets of this 4-part series over at Inside Higher Ed. — This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on leading the life of the mind outside the academy. In Part 1, I examined 3 models for living well. In Part 2, I discussed what we need to do in order to change our…
• February 21, 2011

  On gratitude

  Some mornings, I sit before my computer and, as the sun rises, feel gratitude emanate through me. I give thanks to a world to which I belong, for having projects that matter to me, for seeing my ideas and plans get realized, for being friends with people who are capable of kindness, and, not the…
• February 20, 2011

  What is the role of the public philosopher in the case of Madison, Wisconsin?

  I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t know why it’s happening. I don’t understand. I’m not Naomi Klein, and I’m not Scott Walker. I want to be honest: I’m confused. Why am I confused? Not because I haven’t read the news, watched video, or poured over commentary. Not for lack of trying or…
• February 19, 2011

  Robyn Creswell on Egypt

  In his n+1 article entitled “On Egypt,” Robyn Creswell provides a lucid bird’s-eye-view account of the political unrest in Egypt. Creswell sheds light in particular on Egyptians’ alienation from political life stemming from the early 1970s.