Month: August 2011
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From work = life to working and resting: A 2nd essay
First Essay: Work = Life In the past 6 months, I have written frequently about the work/life divide. It should be said at the outset that industrial capitalism inaugurated two startling, world-historical changes. First, it transformed labor into a commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace. Second, it made work into the kind…
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A scholar was visiting an old monk…
A scholar was visiting an old monk. The monk filled the scholar’s teacup full, but kept on pouring. The scholar finally exclaimed, “It is full. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” said the monk, “you are overfull with your own opinions. I cannot show you the way of Zen.” Compiled by Marc de Smedt. The…
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A letter written by a Doctors Without Borders friend of mine upon arriving in South Sudan
The following is a letter a friend of mine wrote about her first experiences as an obstetrician and surgeon working for Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan. Her letter gives the reader a good sense of the state of medical care in some of the harder hit areas of central Africa. D.H. Lawrence is said to…
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On Stoical exercise
I am writing to you from my inner citadel fortified by my moral purpose. My outer citadel is located on high ground in the Upper East Side. Irene rains grayly outside. Yesterday I was restless, but today I am calm. This can easily be explained: I have kept up with my philosophical exercises and have…
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The Stoics on Hurricane Irene: There is much you can do but you can’t do everything.
Update: In this Wash Post piece, you can check out my book recommendations on how to think clearly about Hurricane Irene. Also at Wash Post: Here you can read the Aug. 24 transcript of my live chat about philosophical counseling. — Philosophy is an ongoing practice in living well. Here you can read a few of my essays on…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 