occasional reflections on culture & politics
I: 1989 In the summer of 1989, an article by famous political theorist Francis Fukuyama seemed to capture the spirit of the times and reflected on “The End of History?”, followed by his 1992 book “The End of History and the Last Man.” Frequently, and maybe with some justification, it was and continues to be… Continue reading #219: Some Reflections on Fukuyama and the End of History
Aren’t we focused a bit too much on identity lately, or rather, on a very narrow definition of it? What does identity even mean? Who we are always depends on several factors, only part of which is controllable by ourselves. We may want to be seen a certain way, but we cannot change how others… Continue reading #182: Reflections on Identity, Purpose, and the Active Life
We all die. It will probably happen sooner than we would have hoped. As Aristotle has made clear, every story has a definitive beginning (before which there was nothing relevant to the story), a middle, and an end, a conclusion, a destination, a telos which concludes this one specific story. Now, I am not sure… Continue reading #137: Live Every Day in Love
The basis of religion is a deep sense of trust in the universe. It is not just hope, but a sense of confidence that things will eventually work out. Whatever bad things may happen, we are not alone, we are not merely random souls that do not matter in the larger scheme of things. If… Continue reading #116: Religion Is Trust in the Universe
Plato already talked about the difference between logos and mythos. Put very simply, the first, λόγος, stands for truth, reason, and science, whereas the second, μῦθος, stands for story, narrative, and mythology. Both can describe approaches to learning and truth, but they differ critically in how they function and of use they can be to… Continue reading #74: On the Difference Between Scientific and Mythological Thinking
Erratic Attempts 