Month: September 2012

• September 10, 2012

  Philosophy, once again, is the search for radiance

  In The Guidebook to Philosophical Life, I wrote that “philosophy is the search for radiance.” Philosophy, once again, is the search for radiance. In this search, there is an important distinction to be drawn, and lived out, between the focus of one’s energies and their dissipation. One’s energies must be corralled, directed, and intensified; they are often…
• September 5, 2012

  A sketch of a public philosophy for an alternative educational model

  Yesterday, I reflected on a sense of bewilderment I felt upon leaving Kaos Pilots in Denmark. I have often wondered what draws young persons to certain versions of relativism, postmodernism, and pragmatism. The answer I gave went like this: There is considerable appeal in this public philosophy: rejection of the old [evident in relativism], relief…
• September 4, 2012

  On the continuing appeal of relativism, postmodernism, and pragmatism

  I’m just getting back from a 10-day trip to Scandinavia. The first five I spent in Stockholm and Vaxholm at Future Perfect, a festival focused on the subject of sustainability; the second five in Denmark at Kaos Pilots, a social entrepreneurship school based in Aarhus. At Kaos Pilots, I put on a two-day workshop on…