Category: General
Epistemic Circles: Squaring up with Utilitarian Ethics
Warning: A winding tale. Read only if you are very bored, or find circles particularly fascinating. At first glance, utilitarian ethics offers the attractive proposals of common good, society, inalienable rights, and the desirable ultimate goal of ensuring greatest human happiness. The utilitarian ethic is grounded in an empirical understanding of the world: things result…
Redefining the Kafkaesque
A copy of ‘Metamorphosis and other stories’ sits on the Dungeon Master’s shelf. Used to sit, rather. I have it here with me now in my living room. Try as I might, I cannot tell you which warms the room more—the space heater chugging on the carpet, or the book that sits on the sofa beside me. I…
Postmodern Considerations of the Intellectual: Prophet or King?
Postmodernism has been defined as “the fragmentation of what was once understood to be a singular public culture” (Hartman). It has birthed the ‘culture wars’ of today, with its intensely subjective approach to well… everything! These are some of my introductory thoughts on the topic as I’ve been learning about it.
Christmas Joy: Existentialist and Absurdist lessons
We are meant to do nothing on Christmas. But there are things I want to remember now. And because I want to remember them so much, remembering cannot be doing. Doing is painful and arduous. It’s Christmas! We don’t do things today. I won’t do anything after this. The things I want to remember! I…
Why we write
A lot of my life right now is questions, so I’ve been reading. It’s how I’ve always found answers, and it’s always worked, so I don’t see why that should change. I’ve been reading a lot recently. Reading all the things I don’t need to be, in all the time I don’t have[…]