Tag Archives: belief systems

What a Woman Needs is Philosophy

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Abigail

What a Woman Needs is Philosophy Let’s say there is some connection between how you live and what you think. And let’s say philosophy, which in Greek means love of wisdom, gives you the chance to see how your own … Continue reading →

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art of Living, Autonomy, bad faith, bigotry, books, Childhood, Chivalry, conformism, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, exploitation, Faith, Fashion, Female Power, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, glitterati, Gnosticism, Guilt and Innocence, Health, hegemony, Heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Journalism, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Masculinity, master, master/slave relation, Memoir, memory, Mind Control, Modern Women, Modernism, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, morality, Ontology, Oppression, Past and Future, Peace, Philosophy, Political Movements, politics of ideas, post modernism, Power, presence, promissory notes, Propaganda, Psychology, public facade, Public Intellectual, radicalism, Reading, Reductionism, relationships, Roles, Romance, Romantic Love, scientism, secular, Seduction, self-deception, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, slave, social climbing, social construction, Social Conventions, social ranking, Sociobiology, spiritual journey, spiritual not religious, Spirituality, status, status of women, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theism, Theology, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, victimhood, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged age of innocence, assessing world views, belief systems, biological differences, civilizational layers, cultural locales, culture and belief, deciphering one's culture, deciphering philosophy, evaluating beliefs, getting one's philosophic bearings, History of Philosophy, human culture, influential thinkers, intellectual strategies, learning to survive, life ambitions, life and thinking, life and thought, life problematic, lifemanship, loss of innocence, love of wisdom, male and female strength, paying for college, paying for higher ed, personal and philosophical, personal history, philosophic argument, Philosophy 101, philosophy and personal life, philosophy personified, philosophy's problematic, revising world views, revisiting childhood, self-assessment, self-liberation, social survival, strategic thinking, surviving youth, time travel, understanding people, women and philosophy, women's strategies, Women's Studies, you are what you think | 3 Comments

Stand on the Rock

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Abigail

Stand on the Rock If I could, I surely would Stand on the rock where Moses stood … I don’t know which rock the singer had in mind. The great rocky crags of Sinai? Some low-lying monadnock near the Burning … Continue reading →

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, Art, Art of Living, Atheism, Autonomy, bad faith, beauty, book reviews, books, Cities, Class, conformism, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, exploitation, Faith, Fashion, Female Power, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, glitterati, Guilt and Innocence, Health, hegemony, Heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Institutional Power, life and death struggle, Literature, Male Power, Masculinity, master, master/slave relation, Memoir, memory, Mind Control, Modern Women, Modernism, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, morality, novels, Ontology, Oppression, Past and Future, Phenomenology of Mind, Philosophy, politics of ideas, post modernism, Power, presence, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reading, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Romantic Love, scientism, secular, Seduction, self-deception, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, social construction, Social Conventions, social ranking, spiritual journey, spiritual not religious, Spirituality, status, status of women, Suffering, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theism, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, victimhood, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", Augustine’s Confessions, belief systems, book illustrations, confession as genre, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, desire for truth, desire to know, fashionable motivations, firm footing, getting published, group identity, group identity and truth, group think, identity and belief, identity problems, life adventure, life motivations, metaphysical curiosity, Moses, Mount Sinai, narrative, opinion shaping, philosophical curiosity, philosophical pilgrimage, power as motive, publishers' rejections, search for wisdom, sex as motive, spiritual pilgrimage, spiritual safety, stand on the rock, stand out in the crowd, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Book Review, thought-worlds, true story, woman's confession, woman's narrative | 2 Comments

Who’s In Charge Here?

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Abigail

Who’s In Charge Here? Today I read an essay about the meaning of life. It was written in the form of a book review by Peter Brooks of The Storyteller Essays by Walter Benjamin. The review appears in the current … Continue reading →

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Afterlife, Alienation, Art, Art of Living, Atheism, Autonomy, beauty, Bible, Biblical God, books, Christianity, Cities, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Freedom, Gender Balance, glitterati, Guilt and Innocence, Hegel, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Immorality, Jews, Judaism, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Masculinity, master/slave relation, Memoir, memory, Mind Control, Modernism, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, morality, Mortality, novels, Past and Future, Phenomenology of Mind, Philosophy, politics of ideas, post modernism, Power, presence, promissory notes, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reading, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Romance, scientism, secular, self-deception, social climbing, social construction, Social Conventions, social ranking, spiritual journey, spiritual not religious, Spirituality, status, status of women, Suffering, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theism, Theology, Time, twenty-first century, victimhood, victims, Violence, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged "New York Review of Books", accessing one's situation, administrative savvy, bad luck, belief systems, Bible stories, Bible study, causation in history, chance or design, cover story, death scene, discerning meaning, disciplined life, divine guidance, divine influence, Egyptian bondage, erotic temptation, failure as opportunity, failure’s lessons, family reconciliation, favorite son, fiction as instructive, fictional heroes, fictional life, fractured kneecap, fratricidal feeling, God as Co-Author, God in control, Hebrew Bible, History, housebound, how the story ends, imaginary character, intelligent choice, Joseph in Egypt, life plotline, life review, living intelligently, making lemonade out of lemons, Master Blueprint, meaning of history, meaning of life, moral framework, moral society, Moses, narrative closure, novelistic Bible stories, novelistic outlook, novelistic view, Peter Brooks’s review of The Storyteller Essays by Walter Benjamin, phenomenological reduction, political smarts, promised land, providential influence, randomness of experience, rationalization, recognition scene, reconciliation, reunion scene, roll of the dice, self-awareness, self-correcting, selling your brother, sibling rivalry, sophisticated readers, the choices we make, the Joseph story, the novel, Walter Benjamin’s The Storyteller Essays, working the room, wrongly accused | 2 Comments

“Hundreds of People”

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Abigail

“Hundreds of People” In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens’ great novel of the French Revolution, there is a scene where the book’s heroine says: “I have sometimes sat alone here of an evening, listening, until I have made the … Continue reading →

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, American Politics, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Autonomy, beauty, Bible, Biblical God, bureaucracy, Chivalry, Cities, Class, conformism, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, eighteenth century, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, exploitation, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Films, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, glitterati, Guilt and Innocence, hegemony, Heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Immorality, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, Journalism, Judaism, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, Memoir, memory, Mind Control, Modernism, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Mortality, Oppression, Past and Future, Philosophy, Poetry, Political, Political Movements, politics, Power, presence, Propaganda, Psychology, public facade, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Romance, Romantic Love, self-deception, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, social construction, Social Conventions, social ranking, Sociobiology, spiritual journey, spiritual not religious, Spirituality, status, status of women, Suffering, Terror, terrorism, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theism, Theology, Time, TV, twenty-first century, victimhood, victims, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged AAR, AAR Conference 2016, Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", Amazon reviews, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, American Academy of Religion, American Philosophy, archives, belief systems, Benghazi, Bernard Harrison, book exhibit, British philosopher, Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities, Chris Stevens, climbing the barricades, colleagues, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, current physics, cynicism, Dostoevsky, echoes, elevator pitch, Emerson, footsteps, French Revolution, grandfather, guillotine, guilty, High Holidays, inner depths, inner life, innocent, Jewish historiography, Jewish history, Jewish spirit, John Kaag's "American Philosophy: A Love Story", literary agents, Lydie Denier, Lydie Denier’s A Voice for Ambassador J.Christopher Stevens, morphic fields, murdered diplomat, not in Kansas, philosophers, philosophic life, philosophical journey, premonition, private life, private life invaded, publishers, rabbis, Rav Tsair, Reign of Terror, romantic life, Rupert Sheldrake, Rupert Sheldrake's Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, San Antonio, spiritual journey, submission to publishers, Talmudics, Thoreau, training lab rats, transliterated prayers, truthful life, William James, world view | 6 Comments

“Rudeness”

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Abigail

“Rudeness” A few years ago I was riding from terminal to terminal on an airport bus in Texas. By the time I climbed on board, the bus had standing room only. I was hanging on a strap, keeping my hand … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdism, Academe, Action, Anthropology, Art of Living, beauty, Chivalry, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, hegemony, Heroes, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Immorality, Institutional Power, Jews, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Love, Male Power, Masculinity, master, memory, Mind Control, Mortality, non-violence, Oppression, Past and Future, Peace, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, politics, Power, Propaganda, Psychology, public facade, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Roles, Romance, Seduction, self-deception, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, slave, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, Violence, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged academic dinner parties, action theory, ad hominem argument, Aristotle, Aristotle’s Ethics, Australian philosophical life, baiting, belief systems, Bullying, Cambridge University, chivalry, civil life, collegial relations, collegiality, conviviality, courtesy, desperate straits, dinner parties, effrontery, faculty wives, false consciousness, frustrated chivalry, gallantry, gentlemen, governing charters, hegemony, Hobbes’s Leviathan, human history, idealization of men, idealization of women, impertinence, incivility, ingratitude, insults, Jew-baiting, kid stuff, ladies, ladies first, launching a movement, life and death struggle, macro-history, Male Power, male supremacy, manners, manners and rules, masked insults, membership dues, membership roster, minority group, minority status, name-calling, new political movement, number one, obscenity, Oppression, oppressive system, ostracism, outspokenness, patriarchy, Peterhouse, philosophers from Peterhouse, philosophical abstractions, Political Movements, politics of the future, power smiles, powerlessness, precision in action, pretense, privacy, private sensibilities, rape, rape threat, rule of law, rule of the stronger, rules, sensitivity, ship christening, social complexity, social courage, social dilemmas, social empowerment, social ordeals, social patterns, social reciprocity, social reprisals, state of nature, Texans, the Other, the right act, toothy smiles, tyranny of the majority, U.K., unfair advantage, virtues, vulgarity, war of all against all, women & children first | Leave a comment

“The Politics of Ideas”

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Abigail

“The Politics of Ideas” They say you are what you eat, but it’s been my experience that you are what you believe. People live and die for the ideas they believe to be true. What is more, people dress, work … Continue reading →

Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Afterlife, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Atheism, Autonomy, Christianity, Cities, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Hegel, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, master, Medieval, Messianic Age, Mind Control, Modernism, Mortality, Mysticism, non-violence, Ontology, Past and Future, Peace, Phenomenology of Mind, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, Power, Propaganda, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Theology, Time, twenty-first century, Utopia, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged 586 B.C., ancient history, anger, anomaly, anti-semitism, aporia, apostles, Apostles Peter and James, archaeology, arguing to find the truth, arguing to win, argument, belief systems, beliefs, Brooklyn College, Christendom, Christian Fathers, Christian Jewish rapportchement, Christians, circumcision, competition for converts, counter-example, country gospel, damnation, destruction of The Temple, dialectic, diversity, Early Christianity, elites, Ethics, evangelical Christians, evil inclination, Feminism, feminist politics, feminist slogans, First Temple, freedom, Gentiles, good inclination, History, ideas, ideology, Institutional Power, institutional practice, integrity, inter-religious dialogue, Jesus, Jewish antiquity, Jewish authorities, Jews, John G. Gager's "Who Made Early Christianity: The Jewish Lives of the Apostle Paul", Judaica, Judaism, liberation, life of ideas, Mind Control, missionary, models, morals, mores, multi-culturalism, New Yorkers, opinion shapers, original sin, paradigms, personal conduct, philosophy professor, Plato, Political Movements, politics, politics of ideas, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton University, principles, refutation, religious politics, resentment, salvation, search for truth, shared assumptions, sinners, social boundries, social conduct, social construct, social control, social penalties, social practice, Socrates, Socratic dialogues, sophisticates, steles, supersessionism, synagogue donors, synagogue membership, synagogues in the ancient world, The Book of Acts, The Covenant, The Crucifixion, the Law, The Passion of Christ, the rift between Christians and Jews, the Righteous Gentile, theology, thought police, thought world, tragic history, truth, world views, wrongheadedness, You are what you believe, You are what you eat | 5 Comments

Self-Acceptance

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Abigail

Self-Acceptance This is the season of deck-swabbing and deck-clearing, if you are Jewish. I tend to say that, at best, I am “Jewish in the head.” By that I mean: having tried a wide range of belief systems, I came … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurdism, Alienation, Anthropology, Contemplation, Contradictions, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Freedom, Friendship, Guilt and Innocence, Health, History, history of ideas, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Jews, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Love, Memoir, Mysticism, non-violence, Ontology, Peace, Power, Psychology, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Social Conventions, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Time, Violence, War, Zeitgeist | Tagged absolution, acculturation, afterlife, anger, anxiety, belief systems, clearing decks, Days of Awe, divine guidance, escapism, excuses, fear of death, forgiveness, getting real, grace, grace under pressure, guilt, inner voice, Jewish New Year, judgment, judgmentalism, life review, moral facts, mortality, NDE, near death experience, pardon, Psalm 27, Psalms of David, purification, rationalizations, Reform Judaism, religious service, repentance, ritual observance, Rosh Ha Shana, Selichot, temple, transcendence and immanence, unconscious fears, validation, Year 5776 | 4 Comments

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