Category: ethics
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A good human life flows according to nature
The following occurred to one conversation partner and me yesterday morning. After our philosophical conversation, I ate lunch, then went for a climb, only to be brought home by the early afternoon desert rain. * A good human life flows according to basic categories (or modes) of human experience: movement, rest, thinking, conversing, having sex,…
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Airbnb Etiquette
Etiquette is not Law Unlike law, etiquette doesn’t apply to all cases of one’s conduct. It applies only in certain circumstances, where appropriate. Etiquette is not Rule Whereas a rule permits only certain kinds of behavior (e.g., speaking after being called upon) while forbidding other kinds (e.g., no running in the halls), etiquette makes no…
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Coming to an inquiring state of mind (Part 3)
How can we get the hang of being surprised? In Part 1, I discuss the importance of being surprised, arguing that philosophical inquiring presents us with two kinds of surprises: perplexities and illuminations. In Part 2, I discuss the cultivation of lightness in the presence of surprise. Today, in the final part, I explore the difference…
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Becoming ‘hungry for surprises’: The cultivation of lightness (Part 2)
In Part 1, I discuss the importance of being surprised, arguing that philosophical inquiring presents us with two kinds of surprises: perplexities and illuminations. Today, I discuss the cultivation of lightness in the presence of surprise. 2. The Cultivation of Lightness One important benefit of learning the art of inquiry is that we become prepared…
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On the importance of being surprised (Part 1)
In the following series of posts, I’d like to say some things about the kind of genre philosophical inquiry is and about the kind of character the practice of inquiry can cultivate. First, I’ll say some things about the nature of surprises in general and about the kinds of surprises–perplexities and illuminations–that emerge during philosophical…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 