Philosophical Happy Hour
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Have You No Shame?
Who among us has not felt a cringe, a desire to disappear, when the eyes of another alight upon our faults and failures? Shame is a feeling equally powerful and undesirable. But what is it, itself, and what role does it play in our lives? We take up these questions in our Philosophical Happy Hour.…
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Signs and Obfuscations: Can the Weather Lie?
The forecast calls for rain, but it remains dry. Someone smiles cheerfully at you, while plotting your downfall. You’ve got a fever—but the only cure is more cowbell. Our Philosophical Happy Hour takes up the question of signs, obfuscation, obscurity, and the signs by which truth and falsity are known. Nobody—or almost nobody—expects a career…
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Felicitates de Quodlibet, III.5
A Philosophical Happy Hour on the art of questioning. A unique fifth installment in our Felictates de Quodlibet series for 2026. In this installment, we ask: do you have a serious question—any serious question whatsoever—which troubles your mind? What is that question? Do we really know what it is what we are seeking? The Lyceum’s…
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On the Nature of Culture
The title might seem like a paradox. Are not “nature” and “culture” radically distinct, even opposed to each other? To answer this we must ask: what do we mean by “nature” and what do we mean by “culture”? Our Philosophical Happy Hour takes up these questions. I have often said, with only a part of…
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The Essence of Tragedy
What is the essence of tragedy? How is it a phenomenon of life, a genre of art? In what actions, characters, and thoughts is it most clearly represented? Join our Philosophical Happy Hour as we take up a central question of artistic signification. “That dinner party was a complete tragedy.” “Her outfit is, like, totally…
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The Common Good and the Toleration of Evil
Pornography, prostitution, gambling, capital punishment, slavery: each seems somehow evil, and yet—at one time or another—each has been tolerated by governments. Do these tolerations violate the common good? Our Philosophical Happy Hour takes up the unhappy question. How do we live rightly as members of a society when that society is permeated by evils? There…
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For the Love of Wisdom
What makes a human being “wise”? What is “wisdom”? Why is it important? In an age of passionate reaction, it seems a virtue all too scarce, and most notably absent from those who govern. Join our Philosophical Happy Hour to discuss its nature and pursuit. We have more knowledge, expertise, and access to information today…
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On the Balance of Work and Study
How can we make time and space in our busy—and seemingly ever busier—lives for the life of the mind? Join our Philosophical Happy Hour this week as we strive together for a more balanced way of life. For much of human history, the life of the mind has been a domain of the privileged few—reserved,…
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On Imperfection and Error
Why is life imperfect? Why are human beings so deeply flawed? This week’s Philosophical Happy Hour looks at the imperfections and errors that characterize life—both those given to nature and those produced by our own choices. To err is to be human. Is this a maxim for forgiveness or to excuse our follies? In some…
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On Our Need for Truth
A Philosophical Happy Hour investigating the nature and definition of truth, and its necessity for our living good lives. Do we need truth to live good lives? Do all human beings? And if so—what is the truth? How do we know it? Who “has” it? Where do we find it? What do we really mean…
