Tag Archives: intimacy
Memoirs, True or False?
Memoirs, True or False? Readers of this column are reminded from time to time that I recently finished a memoir, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, and am looking round the publishing business to see if any editor/publisher will put up … Continue reading
Posted in Absurdism, Academe, Action, Afterlife, Alienation, Art, Art of Living, Atheism, Autonomy, beauty, Bible, Biblical God, Childhood, Chivalry, Christianity, Cities, Class, conformism, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courtship, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, exploitation, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Hegel, hegemony, Heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, History, history of ideas, ID, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Immorality, Immortality, Institutional Power, Law, Legal Responsibility, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, master, Memoir, memory, Mind Control, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, Mortality, Mysticism, nineteenth-century, Ontology, Oppression, Past and Future, Phenomenology of Mind, Philosophy, Poetry, Political, Political Movements, politics, politics of ideas, post modernism, Power, presence, promissory notes, Propaganda, Psychology, public facade, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Romance, Romantic Love, Romanticism, 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, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theism, Theology, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, victimhood, victims, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged "a dog in that fight", 19th century Denmark, Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", Abigail L. Rosenthal's Tales of Rav Tsair, academe, aetheists, akedah, autobiographical, being misinformed, believers, bequest, betrothal, biography, boat launch, broken engagement, Columbia class of 1925, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, conflict of duties, Copenhagen, defamation, Diana Trililng's The Beginning of the Journey: The Marriage of Diana and Lionel Trilling, Diana Trilling, editor, ego-driven, formative experience, generous renunciation, Grandpa, hagiography, higher purpose, intellectual influence, intimacy, jilted girl, Joakim Garff's Kierkegaard’s Muse: The Mystery of Regine Olsen, Kierkegaard's Diary of a Seducer, Kierkegaardian influence, last will of Kierkegaard, Lionel Trilling, literary critic, magic mountain, male friendship, manipulation, married life, masks of ego, memoir, Mrs. Regine Schlegel, Natalie Robins' The Untold Journey: The Life of Diana Trilling, neurotic suspension of the ethical, New York intellectuals, obedience to divine commands, opinion shapers, philosophy, publisher, publishing business, realm of duty, Regine Olsen, self-will, shallow dogmatism, spiritual seduction, submission to the divine, Swiss sanitarium, Swiss TB treatment, TB treatment, teleological suspension of the ethical, The Binding of Isaac, the ethical level, the seducer, the spiritual level, theology, trust in God, University of Lausanne, woman as ideal
Leave a comment
Saints, Lovers and Writers
Saints, Lovers and Writers Girls and women tend to think that their work is an addendum, an add-on, to the main event: life. I have published books and articles, given papers internationally, fought for the right to teach philosophy without … Continue reading
Posted in Absurdism, Action, Afterlife, Art, Art of Living, Autonomy, beauty, Bible, Biblical God, Childhood, Christianity, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Faith, Femininity, Feminism, Films, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, Judaism, Law, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, master, Medieval, Memoir, memory, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, motherhood, Mysticism, nineteenth-century, non-violence, Past and Future, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Political Movements, politics of ideas, Power, presence, promissory notes, Psychology, relationships, Religion, Roles, Romance, Romantic Love, self-deception, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, 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, Theology, Time, twenty-first century, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged Abigail L. Rosenthal's "A Good Look at Evil", Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", academic press, beautiful movie stars, biblical couples, biblical women, book contract, braving ridicule, canonization, Catholic saints, Catholicism, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterly's Lover", divine-human partnership, editors, Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", eros, fight for truth, Gandhi, great lover, greatness in women, heroes of the spirit, heroic wives, Hindu, Hinduism, holiness, human and divine eros, inauthenticity, Ingrid Bergman's Joan of Arc, intellectual courage, intercession, intimacy, Jennifer Jones's Song of Bernadette, lapsed Catholics, Lord Byron's "Don Juan", man behind the curtain, marginalization, mental fight, miracle cure, miracles at Lourdes, peasant girls, phoniness, pilgrimage, pilgrims, prayer, purity, Rachel in Genesis, religion of Israel, reprinting, ridicule, Saint Bernadette Soubirous, sainthood, saints, Sarah in Genesis, seeing a vision, self-sacrifice, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, the lame the halt and the blind, The Wizard of Oz, truthfulness, young girls
Leave a comment
“Marriage”
“Marriage” Marriage has always seemed to me a great mystery. Clearly it has a political aspect. To most people, this is at least somewhat apparent. In an earlier American era, the negative politics of single womanhood was quite obvious. Take … Continue reading
Posted in Academe, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Autonomy, Biblical God, Chivalry, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Films, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Hegel, hierarchy, History, history of ideas, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Jews, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Masculinity, master, Memoir, nineteenth-century, Ontology, Peace, Phenomenology of Mind, Philosophy, Poetry, Political, Political Movements, Power, Psychology, relationships, Roles, Romance, Romantic Love, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, slave, Social Conventions, social ranking, Sociobiology, Spirituality, status, status of women, Suffering, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged a positive mystery, actualized potential, aging virgins, Authenticity, “It’s a Wonderful Life, ” Jimmy Stewart the actor, bashert, biochemical criteria for romance, brides-to-be, busted, change in being, Christmas movies, compatibility criteria, compatibility of philosophers, courage, effort in marriage, falling in love, fear, female friendship, Films, friendship, fulfillment, God & marriage, great wives, happily-married wives, human status, imprudent confidences, intimacy, life capital, loss of friendship, loss of rank, loss of status, marital adventures, marital prestige, Marriage, marriage and status, marriage as destined, mystery, mystery of marriage, narrative, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables, necessary pains, necessary secrets, negative politics, ontological change, outranking, paranoia, philosophic friendship, philosophic papers, philosophic prestige, politics of marriage, positive power, rabbinic view of marriage, realistic fear, risks in marriage, romantic eligibility, Salem witch trials, secret of marriage, self-integration, single womanhood, social prestige, social status, spinsters, status of women in Muslim world, suppressed possibilities, talking it out, Texas panhandle, the feminine condition, threatening candor, unearned status, unmarried women, Upper East Side, virgins, wedding rings, white nights, women friends, Yoga centers
2 Comments
Looking Out for Number One
Looking Out for Number One Quoted in full, Rabbi Hillel’s famous saying goes like this: If I am not for myself, who will be? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? Though … Continue reading
Posted in Absurdism, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Autonomy, Christianity, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Health, Identity, Idolatry, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, life and death struggle, Love, Memoir, Modernism, Mortality, Mysticism, non-violence, Peace, Power, Psychology, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Time, Uncategorized, Zeitgeist
Tagged alternative treatments, baptism, bereavement, Bucks County, cancer standard of care, charity, Christianity, conversion ceremony, conversions, cynicism, death, distractions, Downeast Maine, egoism, farewells, friendship, funerals, grief, horseback riding, indifference, intimacy, Jewish sages, Judaism, life and death, memorials, mikvah, mitzvot, mortal illness, mourning, number one, obsequies, opportunism, personal presence, personal relations, purity, Rabbi Hillel, rabbinic wisdom, religious affiliation, religious conversion, religious obligation, sages of antiquity, selfishness, Shekinah, sickness and health, social defenses, social facade, social static, solipsism, temple congregation, Valery Rybakow, Weltanschauug, worldview
7 Comments
“Intimacy”
“Intimacy” A few months ago, a malicious third party made a comment about my mother, whom she had never actually known, that created distance between my mother and me. It was a puzzling, obscuring distance my mother had never occupied … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Erotic Life, Eternity, Femininity, Friendship, Memoir, motherhood, relationships, The Problematic of Woman
Tagged a mother's love, afterlife communication, bereavement, breach of trust, death, distancing, dream visitations, dreams, emotional grounding, false accusations, gossip, I and Thou, intimacy, intuition, malice, Martin Buber, maternal, misrepresentations, mother and daughter, mourning, recognition, solipsism, tenderness
2 Comments
“Atheism”
“Atheism” I’m not an atheist at present, but I’ve been one. So, why did I go there and why, eventually, did I turn back? I can tell you one thing: life is very different for the atheist from what it … Continue reading
Posted in Academe, Art, Culture, Faith, nineteenth-century, Philosophy, Political
Tagged Atheism, Caspar David Friedrich, conversion, cynicism, failure, Faith, German Romanticism, God, gods, hope, intimacy, Ockham's razor, prayer, problem-solving, religion, self-realization, theism, theology, tragic sense
Leave a comment
“Yenta”
“Yenta” I’ll venture a definition: a busybody whose interest and advice is not really well-intentioned, though it purports to be. A yenta is generally female, but if we assume that a man can be one too, an old-country joke comes … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Political, relationships, Social Conventions
Tagged childlessness, Egypt, gossip, intimacy, Jewish jokes, Moses, privacy, real life, singleness, Yenta
2 Comments
“Seduction”
“Seduction” Thanks to the “most interesting man in the world,” pictured above in the ad for Mexican beer, I don’t have to explain what I mean by “seduction.” Look deeply and fixedly into his eyes, ladies, and tell me nothing … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Desire, Erotic Life, Femininity, Feminism, Gender Balance, history of ideas, Literature, Masculinity, Philosophy, Political, Psychology, relationships, Sexuality, Social Conventions, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Woman
Tagged classical antiquity, coquetry, courting, Creator, Flirting, girl, God, intimacy, Knesset, love, Marriage, Rabbi, relationships, Roman, Romance, seduction, sex, suitor, the most interesting man in the world, vulnerability, woman
Leave a comment