Month: February 2013

• February 18, 2013

  The danger of solipsism and New Age occultism

  During morning meditation, I said silently, ‘I am seeking that place of quiet calm. A voice replied,  ‘You must have other reasons for seeking the place of quiet calm apart from that of ‘simply feeling good.” The self, ostensibly fleeing itself, finds itself again. Solipsism is indeed a grave danger for anyone engaged in the practice…
• February 15, 2013

  Philosophical Improv no. 8: Why Radiance Matters

  In Episodes 1-6, I spoke about the nature of radiance. In the last episode, I suggested that we are living in unsettled time. In this one, I seek to provide clues for why radiance may turn out to be the most excellent way of being for our time. These episodes are attempts to think aloud.…
• February 14, 2013

  Philosophical Improv no. 7: Our Unsettled Time

  In Episodes 1-6, I spoke about the nature of radiance. In this episode and in the next, I seek to show that radiance is the most excellent way of being for our time. In my forthcoming book, Radiance: An Essay for Unsettled Time, I discuss the important connection between goodness and beauty.
• February 13, 2013

  Meditative jewelry: Jewelry that resonates with life

  Yesterday I wrote about a relatively new social group on the historical stage: open-minded, self-reflective individuals who are seeking they know not what through the regular practice of meditation. Today, I’d like to explore what led Alexandra and me to create Meditative Jewelry. Inspired by life in rural Appalachia, Alexandra’s collection is conceived in that…
• February 12, 2013

  ‘Meditation is a quest that the bewildered embark upon…’

  Intellectual Context One of the founders of sociology, August Comte, wondered what could provide the social cohesion for individuals living in the midst of a secular age. He posited a ‘religion of humanity’ to fill the void left by positive religion, a void that Emile Durkheim would later call ‘anomie’ in his attempt to understand…