October 2008
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Jackson, WY
We went to Jackson, Wyoming two weekends ago to visit with friends Bill and Diane, see wildlife, and eat at unbelievably good restaurants. Some pics: Hanna had gone there separately with a 3-day class field trip. My favorite moment of the vacation was picking her up from the camp early in the morning. Steam was… Continue reading
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Happy Halloween
I tend to drag my feet when it comes to decorating for any sort of festival. But pumpkin carving remains a delight. Continue reading
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My valuation of Nz’s revaluation
(from the book I’m writing) What are we to make of this bold attempt to revalue our values? A first thing to note is that, in some ways, Nietzsche’s new foundation for value is not unfamiliar. Aristotle (whom Nietzsche rarely mentions) based his ethics upon a science of human nature. He believed that, with broad… Continue reading
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The virtue of windows
My son was helping me fill out a questionnaire from his school, answering questions about how satisfied we are with the teachers, facilities, curriculum, etc. At the end, I could leave comments about what we liked most about his school. I said, “Safety, and windows.” Ben found “windows” just hilarious. I explained that, no matter… Continue reading
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Casting votes vs. counting votes
Eye-opening story here (in Rolling Stone) about the insidious operation the GOP has in place for throwing out as many as a sixth of a state’s votes — particularly if they come from the sorts of people most likely to vote Democrat. Like Stalin said: it’s those who count the votes who control the election. Continue reading
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Beethoven & German idealism
I’m lucky to have been invited to present three lectures on “Beethoven & Philosophy” to the Beethoven class being held this semester (see below). They’re scheduled for the end of this month, so I’ve been preparing. Philosophers don’t have a lot to say about music. There is discussion of it in aesthetics, of course, and… Continue reading
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Beethoven string cycle
We just finished attending all six concerts of Beethoven’s string quartets, performed by the Fry Street Quartet. Their performances were truly splendid: very charged and aggressive, but also tightly coordinated. I have recordings of some top quartets performing these pieces, but found myself enjoying the Fry’s interpretations more — just more passion in them. Along… Continue reading
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