Does “Charge of the Light Brigade” glamorize senseless sacrifice. What would Russian soldiers in Ukraine think?
Tag Archives: Republic
The Light Brigade’s Charge & Wagner’s
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Charge of the Light Brigade", Alfred Lord Tennyson, Crimean War, Plato, Ukraine invasion, Vladimir Putin, Wagner mercenary group, war Comments closed
God Reaches Us through Art
I share a talk about the relationship between God and creativity. Authors mentioned: Shelley, Homer, Plato, Silko, Walker, Clifton.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Ode to the West Wind", "the light that came to lucille clifton", Alice Walker, Artist's Way, Ceremony, Color Purple, Creativity, Homer, Intimations of Immortality, Ion, John Milton, Julia Cameron, Leslie Marmon Silko, Lucille Clifton, Paradise Lost, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Plato, poetic muse, William Wordsworth Comments closed
Authoritarians Long to Act with Impunity
Authoritarians long to act with impunity. H.G. Wells captures this fantasy in “The Invisible Man.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged authoritarianism, Donald Trump, Fascism, H.G. Wells, Invisible Man, ring of Gyges, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Socrates, Trumpism Comments closed
Homer’s Masterclass in Leadership
Homer’s “Iliad” functions as a leadership clinic. So don’t heed Plato’s dismissal of the poet.
Johnson: Read the Bard, Not Tom Jones
I share the Samuel Johnson chapter from my book-in-progress.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aristotle, Clarissa, Henry Fielding, Horace, Plato, Samuel Johnson, Samuel Richardson, Tom Jones, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Greek Tragedy & the Fragility of Goodness
Martha Nussbaum contents that Aristotle’s use of Greek tragedy gave him a particularly rich vision of how to lead a good life.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aristotle, Euripides, goodness, Greek tragedy, Hecuba, Martha Nussbaum, Plato, Poetics Comments closed
A Partial Defense of Plato’s Poet Ban
Perhaps Plato banished poets from his ideal society because he appreciated the destructive potential of stories. He’s relevant in light of today’s conspiracy theories.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 1Q84, Aeschylus, conspiracy theories, Donald Trump, Euripides, Haruki Murakami, Homer, philosophy vs. poetry, Plato, QAnon, Sophocles Comments closed
Love’s Wavering Image
Spiritual Sunday I share a lovely Longfellow poem about gazing into dark waters, featuring the hypnotic rhythm and rhyme that we associate with the poet. The speaker recalls a time in the past when he was depressed and wished the tide would carry him away. He no longer feels that way but imagines others experiencing […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Bridge", Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, parable of the cave, Plato Comments closed
Philosophy Needs Literature
Friday The other day Eva Bahovec, a good friend who teaches in Ljubljana’s philosophy department, had me meet with two students preparing to write Women’s Studies dissertations. Although philosophy and Women’s Studies are not my areas of expertise, Bogdan Repič and Polonca Mesec want their studies to have a literary component, which is where I […]
