What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole, its body brevity and wit its soul (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) In her book on “Poetic closure”, Barbara Herrnstein Smith envisioned a poem of maximal closure as “pre-eminently teleological” and “in a sense […] suicidal […], for all of its… Read more
In any society which champions equality (not to mention liberty and the pursuit of happiness) it is surely of paramount importance that we do not ignore the different concerns and life experiences of those outside of political, social or economic elites, but how can this be achieved in practice? Hearing… Read more
Far from getting to the bottom of things, tracing the origin of riddles, or understanding the material basis of character, I would like to use this blog as an opportunity to “think out loud” about what worries me most these days, namely the flow of time… The ephemere medium of… Read more
Oh no, not again! I’m threatening to annoy our new readership by posting another blog entry on Aristotle. After all, Mariska’s post from yesterday already may have gotten the blood-a-boilin’ for some of you (although, if you were to have the pleasure of reading… Read more
Studies of Aristotle’s conception of character (τὸ ἦθος) traditionally focus on his ethical works (Annas, 1993; Nussbaum, 1986; and Sherman, 1989). In this context, character is discussed mainly in its role as the bearer of morality: it is a virtuous state (ἕξις) of character that disposes one to perform actions… Read more
