Tag Archives: Fulbright scholars

Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions: Beginningwise, Part 2

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Abigail

Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions Continue reading →

Posted in Absolute Freedom and Terror, absurdism, academe, action, afterlife, agnosticism, alienation, American politics, anthropology, appreciation, art, art of living, atheism, authenticity, autonomy, bad faith, beauty, Biblical God, bigotry, books, childhood, chivalry, Christianity, cities, class, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, conformism, contemplation, contradictions, cool, courage, courtship, cultural politics, culture, desire, dialectic, erotic life, eternity, ethics, ethnicity, evil, existentialism, exploitation, faith, fashion, female power, femininity, feminism, films, freedom, friendship, gender balance, glitterati, Gnosticism, guilt and innocence, health, Hegel, hegemony, heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, history, history of ideas, id, idealism, ideality, identity, ideology, idolatry, immorality, immortality, institutional power, Jews, journalism, Judaism, law, legal responsibility, life and death struggle, literature, love, male power, Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions, martyrdom, masculinity, master, master/slave relation, memoir, memory, mind control, modern women, modernism, moral action, moral evaluation, moral psychology, morality, mortality, motherhood, mysticism, Nihilism, non-violence, novels, ontology, oppression, pacifism, past and future, peace, Phenomenology of the Mind, philosophy, poetry, political, political movements, politics, politics of ideas, postmodernism, power, power games, presence, promissory notes, propaganda, psychology, public facade, public intellectual, radicalism, reading, reductionism, relationships, religion, remembrance, repairing the culture, roles, romance, romantic love, romanticism, science, 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, terrorism, the examined life, the problematic of men, the problematic of woman, the profane, the sacred, theism, theology, time, Truth, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, victimhood, victims, violence, war, work, writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", 1950s America, 1950s gender roles, 20th century femininity, Abigail L. Rosenthal, American vs French women, Americans in Paris, becoming a woman, culture shock, desirability, embodiment and identity, emotional vulnerability, erotic love, eternal ideas, existential truth, female authenticity, female coming-of-age, female identity, female philosopher, feminine authenticity, feminine dignity, feminine success, feminine truth vs universal truth, femininity before feminism, feminist history, feminist philosophy books, first love, fork in the road, French idea of romance, Fulbright scholars, fulfilled woman, gender and power, God of history, heartbreak, historical consciousness, historical God, human connection, intellectual woman, Jerry L. Martin, life of the mind, living in history, longing and regret, loss of innocence, love and identity, Marxism and seduction, Paris, Paris and romance, philosophic memoir, philosophy and concrete experience, philosophy and love, power dynamics in seduction, power of the feminine, Radicalism and seduction, real-world truth, Reductionism and seduction, romantic absolute, romantic awakening, romantic disillusionment, romantic failure, romantic identity, romantic vulnerability, sex and power, sexual awakening, sexual initiation, social boundaries, social conformism, social roles, spiritual integrity, spiritual integrity undermined, spiritual witness, Sublimation, transitory love, truth about life, values in the body, vulnerability, witnessing truth, woman philosopher, women and philosophy, women and social conformism, women and vulnerability, women as socially defined, women before feminism, women’s memoirs, young female philosopher, youthful turning point | Leave a comment

Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions: Preface, Part 2

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Abigail

Today, Dr. Jerry L. Martin and Dr. Abigail L. Rosenthal (author of Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column) carry forward last week’s discussion of Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Let’s see how their discussion continues. *** Jerry: Having said that true love … Continue reading →

Posted in action, afterlife, agnosticism, alienation, American politics, anthropology, anti-semitism, appreciation, art of living, atheism, authenticity, autonomy, bad faith, beauty, Biblical God, bigotry, books, bureaucracy, childhood, chivalry, Christianity, cities, class, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, conformism, contemplation, contradictions, cool, courage, courtship, cultural politics, culture, desire, dialectic, erotic life, eternity, ethics, ethnicity, evil, existentialism, exploitation, faith, fashion, fatherhood, female power, femininity, feminism, filial piety, films, freedom, friendship, gender balance, glitterati, Gnosticism, guilt and innocence, health, Hegel, hegemony, heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, history, history of ideas, id, idealism, ideality, identity, ideology, idolatry, immorality, immortality, institutional power, Jews, journalism, Judaism, law, legal responsibility, life and death struggle, love, male power, martyrdom, masculinity, master/slave relation, memoir, memory, Messianic Age, mind control, modern women, modernism, moral action, moral evaluation, moral psychology, morality, mortality, motherhood, mysticism, Nihilism, non-violence, novels, ontology, oppression, pacifism, past and future, peace, Phenomenology of the Mind, philosophy, poetry, political, political movements, politics, politics of ideas, postmodernism, power, power games, presence, promissory notes, propaganda, psychology, public facade, public intellectual, race, racism, radicalism, reading, reductionism, relationships, religion, remembrance, repairing the culture, roles, romance, romantic love, scientism, secular, self-deception, sex appeal, social climbing, 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, Truth, twentieth century, Utopia, victimhood, victims, violence, war, work, writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", 1940s America, Abigail L. Rosenthal, Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", American home front, American Jewish experience, anti-Semitism in the U.S., Authenticity, childhood in wartime, childhood memories of war, consequences of war, critical thinking, cultural critique, cynicism, espionage in America, Ethics, existential courage, existentialism, experience vs innocence, family history, fighting complacency, fighting tyranny, Fulbright scholars, generational trauma, generational wisdom, genocide prevention, German-American Bund, growing up during war, growing up with history, heroic mothers, historical consciousness, historical impact, historical memory, history and personal identity, history of fascism in America, Holocaust, Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust survivors, human nature, human resilience, idealism, impact of small actions, impact of war on children, individual agency, individual courage in war, individual vs society, intellectual life, intelligence and espionage, Jerry L. Martin, Jewish history, Jewish identity, Jewish resilience, lessons from history, lessons from the past, lessons from World War II, modern philosophy, moral philosophy, moral responsibility, moral seriousness, naivety vs realism, Nazi sympathizers in the U.S., Nazi threat in America, New York City, overcoming disillusionment, Paris, personal history, personal transformation, philosophical reflection, philosophy, philosophy of history, philosophy of love, protecting democracy, public intellectuals, pursuit of truth, Raphael Lemkin, refugee aid, remembering history, resilience of the human spirit, resistance to evil, Romanticism, second-generation Holocaust awareness, significance of choices, skepticism, skepticism vs hope, social commentary, survival and memory, the role of memory, the role of memory in history, true love, U-boats near New York, unsung heroes, war and innocence, war and morality, war and philosophy, war’s impact on childhood, wartime ethics, wartime New York, wartime refugees, wisdom, wisdom through adversity, witnessing history, World War II, Yorkville, Yorkville in wartime | Leave a comment

Friendship’s End

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Abigail

What else is there to record in a life except its possibilities for friendship? With what else could the political art be concerned? How else to measure a society or its relations between the sexes? I am in the midst … Continue reading →

Posted in absurdism, action, alienation, anthropology, art of living, atheism, autonomy, bad faith, beauty, Biblical God, bigotry, chivalry, 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, hidden God, hierarchy, history of ideas, id, Idealism-, ideality, identity, immorality, immortality, institutional power, Jews, legal responsibility, life and death struggle, love, male power, masculinity, master/slave relation, memory, mind control, modern women, modernism, moral action, moral evaluation, moral psychology, morality, mortality, motherhood, non-violence, ontology, oppression, past and future, peace, philosophy, political, political movements, politics of ideas, postmodernism, power, presence, promissory notes, propaganda, psychology, public facade, public intellectual, reductionism, relationships, religion, roles, romance, romantic love, secular, seduction, self-deception, sex appeal, sexuality, social climbing, social construction, social conventions, social ranking, 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, time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, victimhood, violence, work, writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged a southern lady, abandoned by friends, avoiding cynicism, becoming one's mother, blocking transcendence, bridging differences, brink of womanhood, bubble of privilege, cold hospitality, coming of age, damaged friendship, devout atheist, ego and friendship, ending a friendship, fearing a friend, feeling abandoned, female rivalry, feminine coming of age, feminine happiness, friendship and political differences, friendship and relations between the sexes, Fulbright scholars, girlhood and adulthood, girls and mothers, girls coming of age, group mores, healthy friendship, hopes of reunion, idealism disappointed, importance of friendship, lifelong friendships, maternal coldness, maternal hatred, mother daughter relations, newlywed shocks, philosophical friends, politics and friendship, providential coincidence, rationalizing pogroms, religious bullying, riding roughshod, romantic longing, shared past, social expectations, social ranking, testing someone's tolerance, transcendence and feminity, trendy anti-semitism, true love, unshared future, women friends, women victimizing women, worldliness versus idealism, worldly skills, young Americans in Paris, young girls in flower, youthful hopes | 2 Comments

Are People Really Good at Heart?

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Abigail

Are People Really Good at Heart? “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” These words — set down as a belief, not a question — are among the last lines in the diary … Continue reading →

Posted in Absolute Freedom and Terror, absurdism, action, afterlife, alienation, American politics, anthropology, art of living, atheism, autonomy, beauty, childhood, chivalry, Christianity, cities, conformism, contemplation, contradictions, cool, courage, cultural politics, culture, desire, dialectic, erotic life, eternity, ethics, evil, existentialism, exploitation, faith, fashion, femininity, feminism, films, freedom, friendship, gender balance, Gnosticism, guilt and innocence, health, hegemony, heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, history, history of ideas, id, idealism, ideality, identity, ideology, idolatry, immorality, immortality, Jews, journalism, legal responsibility, life and death struggle, literature, love, martyrdom, masculinity, memoir, memory, mind control, modernism, moral action, moral evaluation, moral psychology, mortality, non-violence, ontology, oppression, pacifism, past and future, peace, poetry, political movements, politics of ideas, postmodernism, power, presence, promissory notes, propaganda, psychology, reductionism, relationships, religion, roles, romance, romantic love, romanticism, scientism, secular, seduction, self-deception, social construction, social conventions, 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, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, victimhood, victims, violence, war, work, writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged acts of kindness, American idealists, being set up, believing illusions, believing the best, Bergen Belsen, betrayal to the Nazis, Black American Exiles, concentration camp, death in the desert, defenselessness, Egyptian authorities, enabling, enabling evildoers, Fulbright scholars, gestures of kindness, good-heartedness, hiding from the Nazis, Holocaust victims, human goodness, human kindness, human nature, idealistic values, Isis attack, John Armstrong, kindness as natural, Kindness Tour, kindness tourists, Lauren Geoghegan and Jay Austin, life lessons, lowering defenses, misguided trust, mistakes of kindness, mitzvot, mortal miscalculations, naivete, non-violence, Parisian expatriate, reforming evildoers, repairing the world, Richard Wright, safeguarding good people, satyagraha, saving good people, The Diary of Anne Frank, the goodness of others, The Shoah, thirst and exposure, tragedy, trusting people, Tweety bird | 6 Comments

“The Gang’s All Here”

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Abigail

“The Gang’s All Here” I’ve always liked to be in situations where the whole gang was here. In Hilltop, the summer place of my childhood (memories revived in “Kid Stuff”) we had a small but true-hearted band of playmates to … Continue reading →

Posted in Absolute Freedom and Terror, absurdism, academe, action, afterlife, alienation, anthropology, art, art of living, atheism, autonomy, beauty, childhood, chivalry, cities, class, contemplation, contradictions, cool, courage, courtship, culture, desire, dialectic, eighteenth century, erotic life, eternity, ethics, evil, existentialism, faith, fashion, femininity, feminism, freedom, friendship, gender balance, guilt and innocence, heroes, hidden God, history, history of ideas, idealism, ideality, identity, institutional power, journalism, law, legal responsibility, life and death struggle, literature, love, male power, masculinity, memoir, memory, mind control, modernism, mortality, nineteenth-century, oppression, past and future, philosophy, poetry, political, political movements, power, propaganda, psychology, public intellectual, reductionism, relationships, religion, roles, romance, romanticism, seduction, social conventions, sociobiology, spirituality, suffering, terror, the examined life, the problematic of men, the problematic of woman, theism, theology, time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, war, work, writing, Zeitgeist | Tagged "the gang's all here", academe, academic firing, academic non-reappointment, academic politics, academic standing, Alfred Dreyfus, allies in combat, American students, analytic clarity, analytic philosophers, anonymity, assistant professor, blogs, book review, calls to arms, change of habitat, chiropractic, City of Lights, classy books, closeness, colleagues, collegial relations, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, controversy, cyberspace, dishonorable discharge, dismissals, distant drums, drawing appreciation, drawing fire, drumming out, editing, editorial changes, emotional nearness, expatriots, fighting the good fight, first rate philosophers, friendship's end, Fulbright scholars, fun, group defeat, group victory, Hemingway, Henry M. Rosenthal, hierarchy, intellectual friendships, intimacy, irreverent youth, Jerry L. Martin's "God: an Autobiography as Told to a Philosopher", job fight, Journalism, journalistic training, Jungle Book, junior colleagues, Kipling, lament for friendship, Lionel Trilling, literary friendships, moral sympathy, moving home, Mowgli Stories, nearness, neutral space, outranking, Paris, pecking order, plain style, polarized departments, professional assassination, Public Intellectual, romantic drama, safe distances, say it like it is, social survival, sporting chance, Sturm und Drang, the drumming out of Dreyfus, the God story, time travel, unfrocking of priests, unsettling events, writing, writing process, youth and innocence | Leave a comment

“My Inner French Girl”

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Abigail

“My Inner French Girl” Lately I’ve been reading a book with the charming title, Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl. The author, Debra Ollivier, was married to a Frenchman and lived there ten years. We … Continue reading →

Posted in action, alienation, art, autonomy, cities, class, cool, culture, desire, erotic life, fashion, femininity, freedom, friendship, gender balance, history, identity, ideology, political, political movements, power, psychology, relationships, roles, sex appeal, sexuality, social conventions, suffering, the examined life, the problematic of woman, war | Tagged Aging, American puritanism, ancient regime, biography, Brigitte Bardot, chansons, chic, Debra Ollivier, economy, eighteenth century, Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl, favoritism, Feminism, film stars, French Revolution, Fulbright scholars, fun, Jeanne Moreau, Les feuilles mortes, looks, Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman, Mme. de Stael, national debt, Paris, perfect pitch, pleasure, queen, sex, sexiness, Stefan Zweig, style | 4 Comments