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 […]
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 […]
On Testimony: Rhetoric, Witnesses, and the Problem of Trust
A Philosophical Happy Hour investigating the rhetorical use and fittingness of witness testimony in efforts at persuasion. Very little of what we know—or believe ourselves to know—comes directly from our own experience. That is, someone might have a kind of local familiarity with things, but he has never seen Africa or Asia, never observed distant […]
Retrospect: Fate and Freedom
A retrospective reflection on the recent Philosophical Happy Hour concerning fate, providence, and the limits of human free choice. A few brief reflections derived from our recent Philosophical Happy Hour on Fate: 1. Many people use the term to avoid responsibility for not only their own actions, but even for having to think about the […]
Felicitates de Quodlibet, III.4
A Philosophical Happy Hour on… whatever! The fourth installment in our Felictates de Quodlibet series for 2026, in which we talk about whatever we want, so long as it is interesting, and for as long as we are interested. Or, to put this otherwise: do you have a philosophical question—any question whatsoever—you want seriously to […]
On Fate and Choice
A Philosophical Happy Hour discussing fate, providence, and the limits of human free choice. What determines the course of a human life? Some might answer this question by appealing to choice: you are what you choose to be. Others might blame circumstances: being born into wealth or poverty of money or genes, suffering youthful traumas, […]
Retrospect: Retrieving Dialectic in a “Rhetorical” Age
Recapitulating our Philosophical Happy Hour on the history, nature, meaning, and importance of dialectic. A few key insights derived from our Happy Hour: First, outside rare situations, Aristotelian dialectic has become almost impossible in the US (and many other countries as well). This near-impossibility has rendered many persons not only unfamiliar with the practice, but […]
On Dialectic: Its History and Importance
A Philosophical Happy Hour discussing the history, nature, meaning, and importance of dialectic—including its relation to logic, demonstration, and rhetoric. Old words of long and widespread use often suffer many interpretations: idea, object, concept, form. One word which has suffered greatly is “dialectic”. The word’s Greek etymology indicates “speaking across”, that is, a conversational speaking. […]
On the Difficulties of Consciousness
A Philosophical Happy Hour investigating the apparent problems of consciousness, with particular focus on human beings and the signs by which our experience is known. A retrospective reflection on this Happy Hour can be found here: Resolving the Difficulties of Consciousness. Imagine yourself in the grip of a powerful passion: say, anger or lust, perhaps […]
On the Question of Beauty
A Philosophical Happy Hour inquiring after the nature, perception, and intelligible of beauty and the beautiful. “What is beauty?” If you have spent any time of your life at all around centers of philosophical inquiry, or persons who enjoy questions of deep and abiding human significance, no doubt you have heard this asked. Quite probably, […]
