The Future of Work (Work #7)
In our final class, we're looking back at the last six weeks, and looking forward to ask about the future of work.
News
Latest news, writing, essays, thoughts, fragments, explorations etc.
Mencius and the Sprouts of Virtue
Mencius argued for the inherent goodness of human nature, and insisted that good government is about nourishing this inherent goodness.
The Opposite of Work Part 2: Philosophy and Play (Work #6)
We spend a lot of our life not just working, but also playing. But what is play, and why does it matter?
Plato's Cave, and Escaping the Prison of Ignorance
Plato opened up a series of questions — about philosophy, knowledge, truth, politics and ethics — that have preoccupied philosophers down to the present-day.
The Opposite of Work? All About Idleness (Work #5)
Is idleness a bad thing? Or does taking idleness more seriously offer us new possibilities for human liberation?
Creativity on the Academic Margins: Podcast
A podcast interview about writing, creativity and the challenges of teaching in multilingual environments, with Dr Tim Hannigan.
Spiritual Damage: How Work is Bad for Us (Work #4)
In the last piece, we explored the idea that work might just be the thing that saves us. But what if the reverse is true?
New Book Chapter: A Rude People Subjected to No Restraint
A new book chapter, in Travel Writing in An Age of Global Quarantine edited by Gary Fisher and David Robinson.
7 Ways of Reading Philosophy: #3 Reading self-interestedly
Why be a dutiful reader, when you can read self-interestedly?
The Goodness of Work: Virtue, work, and salvation (Work #3)
Work, according to Thomas Carlyle, is a purifying fire that saves us from all vices. But is Carlyle right? And is work really a path to virtue?
The Zhouyi – a Tool for Invention
A copy of my talk from the third Zhouyi summit forum in Wuxi, China (with Chinese translation).
Maya Philosophy, and How to Give Shape to Time
The Maya philosophers were preoccupied the question of how ritual shapes time, and brings the world into being.