Tag: Surprise
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Cheerfulness, tightrope walking, and an amorous rendezvous
To draw the character of the cheerfully ready person more vividly, I return to Nietzsche’s description of the tightrope walker and the ‘worthy gentleman.’ In one aphorism, Nietzsche distinguishes between non-tightrope walking and tightrope walking situations: ‘To get into only those situations in which illusory virtues are of no use, but in which, like the tightrope-walker…
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Cheerful readiness: A proper response to being surprised
I will be heading to Banff in about a week. I will not know the participants; I will not know what we will do exactly; I will not know what will happen; I will have never worked with my friend Ian nor taught before with another person. I know only that it will be a…
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Scenic lookouts and recipes for living
You’re told that a scenic outlook up ahead is exquisitely beautiful. Well-worth the time, you’ve been assured by phone. You trust this friend and are willing to go along with his recommendation. So, you and your traveling companion look ahead, therefore, with eager anticipation that this exquisitely beautiful outlook will provide some respite from your…
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The nightwatchman is always fooled
The nightwatchman is on the lookout for the intruder. He is instructed to be vigilant. He has learned by rote the common routes, and he has devised certain stratagems for staying awake, for being alert. But the danger always comes by surprise whenever and wherever he was not looking. He was looking but not for…
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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…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 