The Ethics of Business
After reading the passage below in The Meaning of Stoicism, I needed to learn more. “It goes without saying that such a professional ethics is not restricted to craftsmen and artisans and …
Philosophy
The Stoic Way of Life
The Stoic way of life is the expression that encompasses the Stoic’s attitude toward practical affairs. It really is “an anachronism,” writes Ludwig Edelstein in his book The Meaning …
Hunter S. Thompson’s Letter on Finding Your Purpose and Living a Meaningful Life
In April of 1958, Hunter S. Thompson was 22 years old when he wrote this letter to his friend Hume Logan in response to a request for life advice. Thompson’s letter, found in Letters of Note, …
Sol LeWitt on the Power of Doing
In 1960 two American artists met for the first time: Sol LeWitt and Eva Hesse. The meeting sparked a bond that resulted in “countless inspirational discussions and rich exchanged of ideas” …
A Philosophy of Walking: Thoreau, Nietzsche and Kant on Walking
Solitude is an important aspect of creative thought. You could make an argument that in our information-overloaded world where our senses are stimulated nearly 18 hours a day, solitude and calming our …
Turning Adversity Into Advantage
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” *** Perception, action, and will are the three disciplines central to the stoic philosophy. They also …
Einstein on The Essential Feature of Productive Thought
“Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought.” *** There is a view, to which we subscribe that a lot of innovation and creativity comes from the combination of worldly …
The Heart of Humanity
“What distinguishes the risks I’m interested in from mere bravado is that they are taken in the interest of what one is committed to…” *** Hubert Dreyfus is the preeminent expert on …
The Stoic Reading List: Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus and More
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way. — Marcus Aurelius Do you know the section of the book after the last chapter? The one that everyone ignores? …
The Art and Science of Doing Nothing
Idleness is a lost art. That’s the message behind Andrew Smart’s book: Autopilot: The Art and Science of Doing Nothing. “Being idle,” he writes, “is one of the most …
A Definition of Antifragile and its Implications
While a lot of people casually use the word, not many people have read: Antifragile, where Nassim Taleb defines it for us. Just as being clear on what constitutes a black swan allows us to better …
Socrates and the Search For Wisdom
The arrogance of limited knowledge results in foolishness. This is an excerpt from Plato’s Apology, from Plato: Complete Works (an excellent edition that is part of the Great Books program). To …
A Few General Principles Associated With Wise Behavior
Paul Baltes once described wisdom as “a topic at the interface between several disciplines: philosophy, sociology, theology, psychology, political science, and literature, to name a few.” …
Sensemaking as a Complement to Default Thinking
Most of the time we devise strategies in the default mode of problem-solving, prioritizing maximum growth and profit through rational and logical analysis. But we already know that rational and …
Falsification: How to Destroy Incorrect Ideas
Sir Karl Popper wrote that the nature of scientific thought is that we could never be sure of anything. The only way to test the validity of any theory was to prove it wrong, a process he labeled …
Chris Hadfield on Life, the Universe and What’s Really Out There
A fantastic interview with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on life, the universe and what’s really out there. Here’s an excerpt that really struck me and hits home on one of our key …