Self Studying a Classical Education for the Future
Cicero denounces Catiline before the Roman Senate Novus homo, Latin for “new man,” fittingly describes the famous Marcus Tullius Cicero. Once a boy too weak and frail to even be considered for military service, the traditional route to Roman prestige, Cicero devoted himself to becoming dangerously intelligent in the pursuit of goodness. He immersed himself in a Classical education, studying philosophies such as Platonism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism. He studied rhetoric, maste
2 days ago3 min read
René Girard's Mimetic Theory & Peter Thiel on Innovation
Lately, I've been fascinated by René Girard's Theory of Mimetic Desire. From my anecdotal observation, the names of Greek and German philosophy-titans (e.g. Socrates, Plato, Kant, Hegel) are always first responses to the question, "name a philosopher," and modern thinkers often come second, that is if they're even known. René Girard is one worth studying. Rather than explain Mimetic Desire, I think it's better to show it, as it's a decently relatable idea once you get it. Sta
Jul 23 min read
The Philosophical Life
The word philosopher derives from a combination of two Greek words: “philos” (φίλος) and “sophia” (σοφία). When put together, these two words roughly mean “lover of wisdom.” Pythagoras coined this term (also the favorite theorem of algebra students, a2 + b2 = c2), choosing it as a humble alternative to other, more self-important titles. It emphasizes one’s ability to aspire to wisdom yet not be perfectly wise. In contrast to Ancient Greek times, calling oneself a philosopher
Jun 263 min read
Philosophies in Modern Storytelling: Part I
Storytelling has reached completely new levels in the past century. Through movies and television, stories can be told in such complex ways with intricate nuance. As part of a three part series, this article will examine two philosophies: Epicureanism and Stoicism and the roles they’ve played in shaping modern stories. Epicureanism Epicureanism is famous for distinguishing pleasure as the summum bonum, or highest good. I could think of no better literary example than The Hobb
Jun 244 min read
