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Cynicism, Joy, and Baloo the Bear
I don’t often speak about joy; I think it’s silly. (I don’t know why I think this.) But recently I’ve been troubled by troubles of my own making, and this coincided fortuitously with my daughter’s discovery of Disney’s The Jungle Book and with that Baloo the bear. What a picture of a Cynic: contentedly resting at ease with just the bare necessities. It’s a healthy correction. read more
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Parenting a Toddler: An Illustration of Wittgenstein’s Distinction Between Saying and Showing
Wittgenstein’s distinction between saying and showing can be seen, very simply, in how we raise our children. It is important. I hold it in mind at all times. read more
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The Bong Sau Allegory
You can’t overpower everything with muscular strength, so you must learn to react accordingly, with good technique. read more
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The Form and Purpose of Philosophical Irony
The essence of philosophical irony is to say one thing while showing something else, for the purpose that is the purpose of all philosophy: the pursuit of wisdom. For example, were I to say something like: ‘Having children is bad because they cost a lot of money.’ On the face of it, what is said here is literally true: children do cost a lot of money. But what is shown here goes against what is said, because someone with an ear for tone might recognise the point being made: some reasons are too shallow to deserve serious consideration. read more
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Product and Purpose Postscript: Brand Confusion
In the terms-of-today we’d say my writing shows some brand confusion. And it does, because I am confused. Were someone to ask me what my business is, in writing what I do, I wouldn’t know what to say. read more
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Product and Purpose
Some people fail to see a distinction between the product of an activity and its purpose. This isn’t always and everywhere a failure to see things as they really are, since sometimes there is no distinction to be drawn. But when it is a failure it can lead to serious consequences. Because what follows from it: to come to define something’s purpose by its most visible product and then measure its value in those terms. read more
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Attend to What Matters: Eutukhéō or ‘fortunate’
‘If you attend to what matters you will recognise how fortunate you are and this is the ultimate condition to be aimed at.’ read more
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Attend to What Matters: Grief
My dog died recently. This will mean different things to different people. read more
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Attend to What Matters: Freedom
My life is currently very constrained. I am occupied with looking after our 18-month old daughter. When she is awake, I am fully occupied; when she is asleep, I am on call and cannot go further than the effective range of the baby monitor. read more
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Attend to What Matters: Fear
I had reason to refocus on this idea on a recent trip to the dentist. I haven’t had much dental work in my life, but when I have, I am one of those people for whom the anaesthetic never really works properly the first or second (or sometimes third or fourth) time. I know this, having been taught it by repeated experience, but of course any dentist encountering me for the first time must learn it for themselves. read more
An experiment with philosophy as a way of life
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