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Essays, classics, videos, diary entries
Subtleties of mysticism
Diary note (Instagram)
What is the core of mysticism? An ethereal enlightenment or the life of a rose?
Wealth
Essay
Does the pursuit of wealth provide a blueprint for the good life? Should we as individuals strive for wealth in order to be happy? Should we, as a society, therefore align policy best with GDP? Or does the way we deal with wealth and prosperity generate problems of its own that cannot be tackled by financial means?
Advice
Essay
Those who know more can give better advice. But aren't the “ignorant” then quickly at the bottom of a power imbalance? And what about life? Is there even anyone who knows “better”? At least that's what the so-called advice literature would have us believe...
Tell me about it!
Metis Comic (Instagram)
Metis finally meets Socrates, the sage from Athens. What won't he be able to teach her!
Pinboard
Goodbye Jan Assmann!
7. July 1938 - 19. February 2024
Thank you very much for your time, Jan Assmann!
Poem of the moment
Because I could not stop for Death
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –
Dialogues of the Dead
"Reading is education."
Voltaire says:
"Read, educate yourself! Reading alone develops our mind, talking confuses it and playing narrows it."
Laozi points out:
"A beautiful book is like a butterfly. It lies lightly in the hand, transports us from one flower to the next and gives us a glimpse of heaven."
Lichtenberg shouts in between:
"A book is a mirror, if a monkey looks into it, no apostle can look out."
Find out about related projects here:
History of Philosophy
- Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King's College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, "without any gaps."
- The series looks at the ideas, lives and historical context of the major philosophers as well as the lesser-known figures of the tradition.
polylog. Zeitschrift für interkulturelles Philosophieren
- polylog. Journal for intercultural philosophizing is published twice a year; the contributions which are mostly in German are blind peer-reviewed. Each issue is published in print and is made available online on this website after one and a half years under an open-access policy
The Wisdom Podcast
- The Wisdom Podcast is a Buddhist podcast that features interviews with leading thinkers from the Buddhist world. Each episode takes you on a fascinating exploration of Buddhism and meditation as our guests share stories and discuss life-changing practices, timeless philosophies, and new ways to think and live.
Seeds Of Wisdom
- Seeds of Wisdom honors the wisdom of Indigenous worldview and believe all life can flourish when humanity embraces our responsibility to care for the living world for the benefit of unborn generations.