Category: Sage Advice
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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.
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Peace of Mind
Peace of mind is sometimes best preserved by refraining from giving others a piece of one's mind.
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Philosophy in Academe and Out
From a reader: Well, you must have read this sentence a million times but let me tell you once again, anyway: I have been an ardent follower of your blog and simply admire it. I thought you might be the best person to write to as I am confident you will also give me …
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A Reader Needs Advice on Assembling a Philosophical Toolkit
I'm an avid reader of your blog and have really enjoyed the in-depth analysis of a myriad of issues and assorted ideas. It really is one of a kind! That being said, I'm emailing to get some advice on how I should further my philosophical studies. I've decided on political science as a major and…
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Be Hard on Yourself
The better people are hard on themselves. The exemplify the anti-Bukowski property: they try. They set themselves difficult tasks and strive to complete them. They make intellectual, moral, spiritual, and physical demands of themselves. They are alive to the discrepancy between what they are and what they ought to be. But they also know how to…
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Survivalism
Almost anything can be made into a 'religion.' (I am using the term very loosely!) Survivalism, for example. See J. W. Rawles' SurvivalBlog.com for a taste. This post provides some insight into the mentality of a distaff survivalist. It is quite revealing, I think, of both the 'logic' and the propensity for extremism of the…
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What, Me Worry?
The evil event will either occur or it will not. If it occurs, and one worries beforehand, then one suffers twice, from the event and from the worry. If the evil event does not occur, and one worries beforehand, one suffers once, but needlessly. If the event does not occur, and one does not worry beforehand, then one suffers…
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Grateful for Gratitude
Be grateful for whatever gratitude you can muster. It is the sovereign antidote to resentment. Why, among the preponderance of so much that is positive in your life do you focus on the little that is negative?
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Success Enough?
Money in my pocket, food in my belly, clothes on my back, a roof over my head, physical and mental health. What does it say about us that the possession of things like these is not success enough? Aim high! Try high! Forget Bukowski.
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Write it Down!
Visitors do not like being snubbed. If a good thought deigns to make an appearance before the portal of your mind, write it down. Snubbed, it may never come again. But even if it does, will it come clothed in the same felicitous finery of formulation?
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From the Mail: What is a Degree in Philosophy Worth?
This just over the transom: My name is Bryce. I am a freshman uni student, studying philosophy. I have a question I believe you are well-suited to answer, considering your vast life experience and knowledge in philosophy; is it worth it to get a college degree in philosophy? I am academically unaffiliated by choice, having…
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People to Avoid
Avoid the unhappy, the negative, the envious and resentful. Associate with the happy to be happy.
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In the Interests of Prandial Harmony
Some of you will be at table with relatives today. Experientia docet: Occasions of putative conviviality can easily degenerate into nastiness. A prophylactic to consider is the avoidance of all talk of politics and religion. But to paraphrase G. K. Chesterton, What else is there to talk about? An exaggeration, no doubt, but God and…
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Avoid Misanthropy
The timber of humanity, though crooked, is nonetheless mostly sturdy and termite-free.
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On Accomplishing Non-Accomplishment
Successfully resisting the hyperkineticism of one's society, saying No to it by flânerie, studiousness, otium liberale, traipsing over mountain trails at sunrise and whatnot — this too is a sort of accomplishment. You have to work at it a bit. Part of the work is divesting oneself of the expectations of others and resisting their and…