Is there passion without ambition? Let us think of passion, at the most extreme sense, as the condition of being fully immersed in a single idea, and fully directed in one's powers and capacities toward serving that idea, likely at the expense of many things that also seem good or even necessary. Such passion can … Continue reading Lasting Passion Serves Ambition, and Happiness Requires Greatness
happiness
Do more people desire death or immortality?
Does everyone like being alive? Happy people surely do, almost by definition. If you're happy, then you are apparently having a good time. Nobody wants to stop having a good time, otherwise they wouldn't call it "good" in the first place. If you wanted it to stop, then you would call it a bad time, … Continue reading Do more people desire death or immortality?
The Kingdom of Heaven
A man and woman were talking to each other while strolling down a peaceful road. The man asked the woman, "What must heaven must be like?" The woman answered: "Well the idea of the kingdom of heaven is that of an ideal kingdom. The laws flow from the will of the King, who is good. The angels who reside … Continue reading The Kingdom of Heaven
Why Reasonableness Matters for Political Freedom
The Western cannon offers many arguments that reason and free will in particular set human beings apart from other species and make politics possible. These powers help explain why other species are not political (save the interesting exception of bees). A perennial political difficulty, however, is that powers need not be exercised. Powers, or faculties, … Continue reading Why Reasonableness Matters for Political Freedom
Religion and the Desire for Immortality
What is religion? I have to deal with this question because my dissertation is about the desire for immortality in the liberal tradition. Basically, when you're talking about a desire to live on after the unavoidable death of your body (immortality), you're getting into religion. There is not physical proof that anyone lives on after … Continue reading Religion and the Desire for Immortality
My Mother, My Immortality
The desire for immortality wasn't the most obvious topic for my political theory dissertation, particularly one aimed at helping us understand our political situation today (the issue has been considered by most scholars as a dead one for hundreds of years). On the other hand, we all agree that new solutions are needed to overcome … Continue reading My Mother, My Immortality
