Category: Learning
Turtles all the way down
Finding truth in emptiness. When we acknowledge there is no final turtle, we open ourselves to discover and live more. The turtle on which we are standing is never the last one.
We can’t prepare for this moment
‘Opening to Darkness’ by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. What to make of this political and ecological moment, this chaos that arrives with no instructions? We can “see, collectively, in the dark.”
‘Do I want it? Life, that is.’
‘On Not Knowing‘ by Emily Ogden. What is there to hope for? Should we hope? We can work in the field, making bales of hay, but the work of the soul “never will be cut and dried.”
‘Agnotology’: The study of ignorance
Our ways of knowing can be corrupted. “We’re going to have to rethink our metaphors,” Proctor said, on persuading people away from science-denial. “We’ve got to think much more creatively.”
We knew it before we were quizzed
That truth remains valuable. We existed. We went to school and forgot ourselves for a while. Then we remembered who we are. We had this knowledge with us the whole time.
We can’t represent the idea of representation
Even if art inspires imitation. The artwork looks real and inspires people to try to interact with it and eventually to reproduce the image or otherwise imitate the idea in their lives.
He lied on his college applications and went to prison
‘Conning Harvard’ gives an example of what not to do. Adam Wheeler made headlines in 2010 when it was discovered he’d been admitted to Harvard under false pretenses. His prize-winning work had been faked too.
Too much ‘noo’ in the sphere (all spin, no facts)
Steve Bannon describes MAGA narrative in terms of Teilhard’s ‘noosphere’. Bannons says that liberals get sucked into fact-checking while Trump’s followers don’t let themselves be distracted by questions of truth.
Hard truth! Trust news!
A ‘Democracy dies in darkness’ erasure poem. Jeff Bezos didn’t allow the Washington Post editorial staff to endorse Kamala Harris. Many are resigning over his ‘principled’ action. Does he believe them?
Have you found a news source you trust?
Here are a few suggestions. Pay for the news or support it however you can. Journalists reveal what government officials are doing and what candidates are saying. That’s democracy.
Secretamos la concha / We secrete the shell
Un ensayo ilustrado sobre el conocimiento / An illustrated essay on knowledge. Mini-illustrations about not grabbing too tight and instead growing that which we’ll carry with us. In English (plain text) and Spanish (in images).
Why do politicians ‘swear in to office’ on a Bible?
Doing so is supposed to appear solemn, but it can’t really bind them to their promise. The politician may not believe God holds them accountable for promises on a Bible. Swearing in on a Bible only shows the cultural power of Christianity.