. . . the smaller the citizen. (Dennis Prager)
. . . the more to fight over. (Vallicella)
. . . the bigger the debt. (Vallicella glossing Medved)
Category: Aphorisms and Observations
Great but Wretched
That one has has a soul to sell indicates one's greatness. That one sells it so cheaply — for money, power, sex, pleasure, fame, mere physical longevity – points up one's wretchedness.
Of Gold and Fear
"When we have gold we are in fear; when we have none we are in danger." (English proverb)
The same could be said of 'lead.'
Your Own Worst Enemy
Be open to the possibility that it is the person looking back at you in the mirror.
Name and Fame
You may deserve recognition but you ought not seek it. You ought to seek that which gives you a right to it.
A War to End All Wars
A war to end all wars would have to be a war to end all actual and potential warriors, which is to say — a war to end humanity.
Introverts and Blogging
The blogosphere makes possible the sort of socializing and 'sharing' — to use a squishy word — acceptable to an introvert. Long live the 'sphere!
Do We Deserve Better?
It is perhaps only fitting that fiscally irresponsible people should get a fiscally irresponsible government.
Of Climbing and Writing
When the climbing gets steep, we take shorter steps. A good rule for writing as well. Demanding subject-matter is best served in short sentences. On the flat, one's stride lengthens. And so should one's sentences as precision gives way to platitude.
Peace of Mind
Peace of mind is sometimes best preserved by refraining from giving others a piece of one's mind.
Who is My Friend?
I need a criterion. Perhaps the following will serve. Can I be myself, my best self, around this person? Or must I hide myself? If 'yes' to the first and 'no' to the second, then the person in question is a serious candidate for friendship.
The Xenophobe Speaks
Waxing anti-Terentian, the xenophobe spoke thusly: "Nothing foreign is human to me."
Holden Caulfield Grows Up
The adult comes to accept what the adolescent decried, namely, the fact that the world runs on appearances and that seeming to be is almost as important as being.
The Joys of Philosophy
One of the joys of philosophy is the joy of exploring the cartography of ideas, the landscape of the mind, the contours of the noosphere. And all of this whether or not we arrive at truth.
The Philosopher
A philosopher is one to whom the large impersonal questions matter personally.