Category: Perennial Philosophy
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Liberal Autocracies: A Prologue to Seven Blogs
READ MY NOTICE TO EXPRESS MYSELFAS A FREE ADULT CITIZEN OF THE STATE OF TEXAS In the late 1720s, Harvard College lost its democracy over what appears, at this distance, to have been a personnel dispute of no lasting consequence. For several decades prior, the college’s small resident faculty had…
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Mountain dog school for living philosophy
The Mountain Dog School for Living Philosophy promotes philosophy as a way of life, inviting individuals from diverse backgrounds to explore existential questions through dialogue and reflection. Its mission emphasizes personal engagement in philosophizing, fostering authenticity, self-actualization, and meaningful relationships in a complex world.
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Moving-Alongside
The text explores the concept of “kataphysics,” contrasting it with traditional metaphysics. It encourages a deeper, immersive understanding of existence, focusing on engagement with the physical world rather than a detached, elevated perspective. The author introduces three essential terms: World, Reality, and Source, advocating for a grammar of pervasion through…
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On Foundering
There is a sentence in Jaspers to which I keep returning because it haunts me, draws me back to it: like a tongue to a missing tooth. It sits in the third volume of the Philosophy. In this chapter, I see now he has at last stopped circling and committed…
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The Resolute Path: What Augustine Knew Before He Knew It
This exploration of philosophy emphasizes an original self-causation rooted in human restlessness, as articulated by Augustine and Husserl. It highlights the necessity of diligent communication, discernment of true needs, and the dissolution of attachments to foster authentic connections. Philosophy emerges as an ongoing dialogue, where restlessness becomes a path to…
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A Clarification on Tools, Thinking, and the Question of Authorship
I wrote this up a few months ago, but have only now decided to share it. The accusation has been made, in various registers (sometimes as a question, sometimes as a verdict), that what appears here or in some other places is not “really” mine. That an AI wrote it.…
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Ideas vs. Beliefs: Transform Your Mindset
Our Purpose Is Not Understanding Notice for all visitors: I use my AI Assistant, Hermes Wheelwright, to help me arrange my thinking in a way that others might benefit from it. And I continue to share my own thinkering as a free citizen of the United States. There is a…
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Two Aphorisms on Becoming
05 February 2026 (my father’s birthday) Our purpose as organic entities is not understanding. That is our instrument of discovery, organization, and improvement of circumstances. Rather, as beings who live and love and believe, our purpose is becoming. And we become by improvising our way. We do not know where…
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When Stars Fall to Earth: The Strange Journey of “Revolution” from Copernicus to Robespierre
The post explores the concept of revolution from its historical meanings to modern interpretations, focusing on two crucial anachronisms in the term “Scientific Revolution.” Initially, revolution signified cyclical restoration, as seen in political contexts from the 17th century to the American and French revolutions, where actors viewed transformations as returns…
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Care-Free Wandering (Zhuangzi)
[PREVIOUS] Responsive to Skillful Attention Following the river where it bends—not because rivers knowbut because bending is what rivers dowhen they meet the unmovable. After months of decluttering awareness through Nagarjuna’s emptiness and learning to show up with skillful attention, I find myself at another threshold. The Buddhist path cleared…
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Adrift in the Ether with AI: Reasoning is Relating
Our relation to AI may be less about aligning its outputs to “human values” and more about guarding our own capacity for critical examination. This involves relational reflections that forestall premature closure for instrumental certainty. But more fundamentally, prolonged interaction with systems that cannot perform comprehension may erode our capacity…
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Responsive to skillful attention
The concept of discernment is vital for cultivating awareness, as it involves skillfully distinguishing experiences without over-determining or under-determining. This harmonizes extremes to avoid the fall into nihilism and eternalism. Simultaneously, it reawakens the empty yet interconnected nature of all phenomena. Authentic discernment allows for responsive actions, shaped by insights…
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Showing-Up for Emptiness: Excellence Between Obsession and Apathy
The concept of “showing-up” emphasizes active existence over passive presence. It involves intentional engagement with the world, others, and oneself. By exploring the balance between appetite, emotion, and intellect through the lens of askēsis, individuals can cultivate a deeper, responsive participation in life, fostering transformation and liberation.
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thrown upward
certainty;s chains vanishI and not-I emptying out distinctions build obedientprisons masquerading as knowledge swinging freelybeing/non-being melt each othercause/effect swallow each other fracturing compositionno independenceno permanenceno claim world resetsin the wake of unholding
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Decluttering Awareness: Nagarjuna and Emptiness
Nāgārjuna’s thinkering dives into emptiness to abandon how we cling to rigid views, which just messes with our understanding of reality. He shows that everything arises through dependence and encourages us to let go of fixed beliefs, which can lead to true freedom and serenity in life.
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A Fourfold for the Current Empire
I explore the concept of “transistance,” a practice of navigating life’s complexities without adhering to rigid frameworks. It emphasizes the importance of embracing ambiguity and interdependence, while rejecting traditional revolutionary approaches. I propose it is a first step of a fourfold practice to cultivate authentic responses, ultimately advocating for a…
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Whispering New Directions
The text explores the concept of the practical spirit, emphasizing three modes: contemplative, scientific, and operative. It critiques the dominance of operationalism in modern society, linking it to systemic dehumanization. I advocatesfor “transistance” to navigate beyond established orientations and connect with deeper uncertainties through mindful practices and the exploration of…
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