Category: philosophical counseling

• July 20, 2013

  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…
• July 19, 2013

  Moderate risk/moderate gains model

  Yesterday, I showed that the career, an all-or-nothing model, amounts to high-stakes gambling. Either you get and secure the $100,000-200,000/year position, or you do not. If you do secure the position, you fear losing it, fear being sick, fear being unable to pay off your debts, and so work yourself/are worked to the bone, thereby…
• July 18, 2013

  The career as high-stakes gambling

  If you conceived of a career as a certain kind of game and knew how the game worked, then you’d conclude before you even began playing that the house always wins. Consider how much you’d have to ante up simply to be able to come to the table: Time: Somewhere between 4 years minimum and 15…
• July 12, 2013

  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…
• July 11, 2013

  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…