Author: Andrew Taggart
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On the lectio divina
In the Middle Ages, the lectio divina was the art of reading Scripture slowly and contemplatively. It was a gustatory experience if not also an experience in attunement. Still in Montaigne’s time, books were to be sat with, chewed on, mulled over, and taken in. Now, books are packets of information: Our eyes do the…
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Count no man happy until he has died
A friend of mine came to New York to interview for a fellowship. I hadn’t seen her in 6 years. After she left just now, I was left with the clearest of impressions: A person is not a block of wood but an organism that grows, flourishes, or wilts. Literature is vital for understanding the…
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Bringing on the future: A follow-up
A strange discussion ensued after commentators read Dougald’s post, “Bringing on the Future.” In his defense, I wrote the following: I could speculate about the misunderstandings and the miscommunications, but in the end such armchair thoughts would only amount to musings and conjectures. What struck me in what I read, though, was the extent to which…
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Toward a tentative theory of new ideas (on the need for thinking during a period of collapse)
Thinking takes on new urgency during a period of collapse. Dougald and I both believe that we’re living through such a period, and he reminded me of this when in his recent post he wrote, Why this should be so [that is to say, why ideas are returning today with a freshness and immediacy] becomes…
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A philosopher is neither a professional nor a therapist nor a life coach
“So what do you do for a living?” “I’m a philosopher.” “So where do you teach?” “I don’t teach at a university. I work with individuals on meaning and value of life questions.” “You mean you’re a therapist?” “No, we write letters, take walks, drink wine, discuss ultimate values.” “Kinda like a life coach.” “…”
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 