Month: April 2012

• April 17, 2012

  Philosophical life as conversion experience

  Fatherhood Marilynne is a beautiful idea. I am not sure that she will ever become a reality. Marilynne, my daughter, is a reverie. And how did the name come to you? I read Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead and was so taken with the name Marilynne that I knew she would be my daughter. I am starting…
• April 16, 2012

  A quartz crystal send-off: A few words of counsel regarding how to put life in order

  Update My article on philosophical practice, “Counselling: Putting Lives in Order,” The Philosophers’ Magazine 57, is now available here. It was written in August and, though somewhat dated, still holds its own fairly well. It is also the most comprehensive account of my philosophy practice that I’ve written to date. Enjoy. * I thought it was time to…
• April 14, 2012

  The mirthful canopies of spring

  My friend was at the front door at half past 9. Joan yelled down, “Who is it?” I was already sitting near the door and admiring the spring morning when the doorbell sounded. “Who is it?” she tries again. “A friend, Joan, it’s a friend,” I yell up. “Huh? Who is it?” “Don’t worry, it’s…
• April 13, 2012

  ‘The infinite value of life itself’: 3 examples of spiritual exercise

  “I did nothing today,” the man says. “What?” Montaigne replies. “Did you not live? That is not only the most fundamental but the most illustrious of occupations.” * This week a number of conversation partners have spoken to me about spiritual exercises (ascesis), asking further about what they are and how to practice them. (The…
• April 12, 2012

  ‘Why not me? Why not now’: On the collective loss of ethical life

  My good friend Jennifer has shared with me her philosophically rich personal essay, “Attention” (forthcoming). In “Attention,” she relates that she is traveling by train from Detroit to Chicago. Not far into the trip, the train stops abruptly. The passengers are informed that a man has stepped in front of the train that had been…