The dream of a Liberal (arts) education—which is the scaled, democratic form of the Keatsian ideal of negative capability—cannot hold up when liberalism itself is held to be suspect.
An enlightened being sees their agony without diminishing its reality. In other words, it doesn’t just turn away from it—but, on the other hand, simultaneously sees everything, including that agony [and] including hell, actually, as bubbles of bliss in an ocean of bliss. That’s the kind of cognitive dissonance that the ordinary mind cannot get... See more
According to Igor Grossmann1, a Toronto-based psychologist and wisdom researcher, perspective-taking is necessary for wisdom. At the heart of wisdom is what he calls “perspectival meta-cognition,” which includes the ability to consider multiple viewpoints. This can be dangerous to agency maximizers, as it risks disrupting the clarity that a... See more
The Keatsian endeavor has never been popular, but is particularly unfashionable today. Religious fundamentalists reject it on the grounds that revelation and commitment are needed to orient oneself in the world. The amorality of a poet who is a “thoroughfare for all thoughts” risks heresy or destabilization. Tell me where you stand, where your... See more
Don't forget to fertilize your environment. It's that simple. Spread kind words and respect to everyone you meet. Only then can the meadow around you flourish. This is needed more than ever.