Category: ethics

• March 18, 2014

  Retreating from the genre of deliberation

  I’ve been thinking from time to time about the genre of deliberative inquiry. When one thinks of the genre of deliberation, one is inclined to take the first question to be: ‘Well, what is to be done?’ Or: ‘What shall we do?’ Over the years, I’ve become disenchanted with this question; it is rarely the right…
• March 17, 2014

  Withdrawing from Ultimate Tests

  Dear Philosophical Friend, I thought my claim about the impossibility of ultimate tests was too rushed and unclear. Let me try again here. Let P be an Ultimate Test for some question Q. Let question Q be, e.g.: ‘Is Smith truly, ultimately trustworthy?’ There are three ways that P can go awry: 1.) P can be so overly…
• March 14, 2014

  The trouble with deadlines: A conceptual analysis and alternative proposal

  Dear Philosophical Friend, By means of philosophical inquiry, we determined what would be an appropriate deadline for the project you wish to complete. Specifically, we asked three questions that were based on the gift economy worksheet: 1.) Is it a generous deadline and will allow for surprises? 2.) Is it urgent enough to avoid squandering…
• March 13, 2014

  Humble elitism: Making the vertical ascent

  One who sets foot on the philosophical path may become bewildered when he begins to consider how it is possible not to be arrogant yet also how to ascend beyond the bounds of the ordinary. I have recently come to a better understanding  of how this is possible. More: of how this is necessary. 1.…
• February 27, 2014

  Philosophizing’s folding back on itself

  This meditation is inspired by a philosophical conversation that took place earlier this morning. * As living discourse between philosophical guide and philosophical friend, philosophizing ‘folds back’ on itself. If, unlike sages and gurus, philosophers never come with answers in hand, then they must inquire in order to understand. Then, how would the inquiry have to…