Altar of a Minor God
I break out into this declaration not because of a lurking tendency to megalomania, but, on the contrary, as a man who has no very notable illusions about himself. I follow the instincts of vain-glory and humility natural to all mankind. For it can h...
Size Matters
“It’s not the meat, it’s the motion.”
— Possibly apocryphal motto ascribed to certain Ivy League Lightweight Rowing Programs1
Felix Salmon and Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry have commenced an interesting tennis match with dueling...
Three’s a Crowd
In politics, the tripod is the most unstable of all structures.
— Frank Herbert, Dune
Today, O Dearest of Long-Suffering and Put-Upon Readers, Your Temperate and Even-handed Critic of All Things Vampyromorphida was led by circuitous paths to an...
Beauty Is Nothing but the Beginning of Terror
Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel
Ordnungen? und gesetzt selbst, es nähme
einer mich plötzlich ans Herz: ich verginge von seinem
stärkeren Dasein. Denn das Schöne ist nichts
als des Schrecklichen Anfang, den...
Chesterton’s Fence
In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simp...
Cogito, Ergo Whom?
Carlyle Group said Wednesday, Jan. 31, it reached a definitive agreement to acquire Philosophy Inc., a fast-growing brand of lotions and personal-care products, for an undisclosed sum.
The Phoenix-based company generates about $50 million in Ebitda an...
Kindle This
And what is the faculty in man to which imitation is addressed?
What do you mean?
I will explain: The body which is large when seen near, appears small when seen at a distance?
True.
And the same object appears straight when looked at out of the water,...
The Standard Model
No, no, no, no, no.
Now poor Ezra Klein has fallen into the instrumentalist trap of higher education. In an opinion piece on Bloomberg, Klein accuses Harvard and other elite institutions of higher education of failing their liberal arts students. He...
The Harrowing
“What’s in the box?”
“Pain.” He felt increased tingling in his hand, pressed his lips tightly together. How could this be a test? he wondered. The tingling became an itch.
The old woman said: “You’ve heard...
Apocalypse, Ciao!
Francie Stevens: “I’ve never caught a jewel thief before! It’s stimulating! It’s like... It’s like...”
John Robie: “Like sitting in a hot tub?”
— To Catch A Thief
Part of the real pleasure of...
