Tag Archives: public intellectuals
A Good Look at Evil
A Good Look at Evil Last Friday the galley proofs arrived for the new edition of my book, A Good Look at Evil. When the first edition came out, decades back, Temple University Press nominated it for a Pulitzer prize. … Continue reading
Posted in Academe, Action, Alienation, Art of Living, Autonomy, bureaucracy, Class, conformism, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, exploitation, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, glitterati, Guilt and Innocence, hegemony, Heroes, hierarchy, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, Judaism, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, master, Memoir, memory, Mind Control, Modernism, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, motherhood, Oppression, Past and Future, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, politics of ideas, post modernism, Power, presence, promissory notes, Propaganda, Psychology, public facade, Public Intellectual, Race, relationships, Roles, secular, Seduction, self-deception, social climbing, social construction, Social Conventions, social ranking, spiritual journey, spiritual not religious, status, status of women, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, victimhood, victims, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged "the talent in the room", Abigail L. Rosenthal's "A Good Look at Evil", academe, academic eminence, academic research, Adolf Eichmann, ahead of its time, Betty Friedan, blurbs, book publishing, collegial relations, Eichmann's Argentine transcripts, endorsements, Eric Voegelin Society, Evil, Famous feminists, feminine self-erasure, first edition, flattery, founding mothers, galley proofs, genocide, Gloria Steinem, good and evil, good philosopher, Holocaust, Holocaust memories, keeping current, life story, Lionel Trilling, literary honors, living one’s story, mass murderer, Nazi thinking, non-fiction narrative, Norman Mailer, opinion shapers, philosophers, philosophic literacy, preface, professional recognition, professional renown, public intellectuals, Pulitzer Prize, reprint, second edition, Simone de Beauvoir, SS, Susan Sontag, Temple University Press, the Eichmann trial, the narrative view, Wipf and Stock
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Rocky Mountain Lowdown
Rocky Mountain Lowdown Jerry and I have about finished the first leg of a complicated journey, the part that took shape in the cities of Denver and Boulder in the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado. Jerry had some talks to … Continue reading
Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Academe, Action, Afterlife, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Bible, Biblical God, Christianity, Cities, Contemplation, Contradictions, Courage, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Faith, Fashion, Freedom, Guilt and Innocence, Heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, History, history of ideas, Identity, Ideology, Immorality, Institutional Power, Jews, Judaism, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Love, memory, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Past and Future, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, politics, politics of ideas, Power, presence, Propaganda, public facade, Public Intellectual, Race, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, secular, self-deception, Social Conventions, spiritual journey, spiritual not religious, Spirituality, status, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theism, Theology, Time, victimhood, victims, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged "the true Israel", academic conference, academic papers, ancient land, annihilation of the Jews, anti-Israel, anti-semitism, argument, Boulder, chosen people, chosenness, Christian doctrine, Colorado, covenant, covenant with Israel, death camps, death of God, Denver, divine encounter, divine visions, Evil, Faith, false prophets, God, God and humankind, God's chosen people, God's existence, History, Holocaust, Holocaust survivor, human freedom, human rights, intellectual defense, Israel, Jerusalem, Jewish angels, Jewish army, Jews, Jews as witness, Nazi murders, Nazi regime, philosophical argument, philosophy, public intellectuals, Richard Rubenstein, Rocky Mountains, shamans, Shoah, spirituality, Supercessionism, the absence of God, the human story, The Jewish nation, the presence of God, the prophets, theology, trial of Adolf Eichmann, tribal women, tribe, truth, Ur of the Chaldees., witness
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A Funny Thing Happened to Philosophy (on its way to the deepest depths)
A Funny Thing Happened to Philosophy (on its way to the deepest depths) Recent projects of work have put me back in contact with a strange business in which philosophy had a strange part to play. In the 1920’s, as … Continue reading
Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Afterlife, Alienation, Art of Living, Atheism, Autonomy, Chivalry, Class, conformism, Contemplation, Contradictions, Courage, Courtship, cults, Cultural Politics, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, exploitation, Faith, Fashion, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, glitterati, Gnosticism, Guilt and Innocence, Health, hegemony, Heroes, hidden God, hierarchy, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Immorality, Immortality, Institutional Power, Jews, Judaism, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Love, Male Power, Masculinity, master, memory, Messianic Age, Mind Control, Modernism, Moral action, Moral evaluation, Moral psychology, Mortality, Mysticism, Ontology, Oppression, Past and Future, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, politics, politics of ideas, post modernism, Power, presence, promissory notes, Propaganda, Psychology, public facade, Public Intellectual, Race, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Romance, Romanticism, Seduction, self-deception, Sex Appeal, social climbing, social construction, Social Conventions, social ranking, spiritual journey, status, Suffering, Terror, terrorism, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, the profane, the sacred, Theology, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Utopia, victimhood, victims, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged argument chains, Authenticity, average man, average opinions, Beethoven, being-there, being-toward-death, bloodbath, careerism, classroom philosophizing, collapse of trust, country music, currency and trust, currency and value, Dasein, deep thought, dishonor, Edmund Husserl, Emmanuel Levinas's Otherwise Than Being or Beyond Essence, Emmanuel Levinas's Totality and Infinity, expulsion of Jews, fall of German mark, generations of thinkers, genius, German defeat, German professoriate, Hank Williams's Your Cheatin' Heart, Hannah Arendt, History of Philosophy, human decency, inflation crisis, Jewish mentor, Jewish students, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Martin Heidegger, Martin Heidegger's Being and Time, Nazi party, new foundation, opinion shapers, outmoded worldview, personal destiny, philosophic betrayal, philosophic competition, philosophic depth, philosophic genius, philosophic influence, philosophic legacy, philosophic loyalty, philosophic rivalry, philosophic Romanticism, philosophic stardom, primeval, public intellectuals, Rector at Freiburg, spellbinding lectures, strange business, the best and the brightest, the human face, ultimacy, University of Freiburg, University of Marburg, Ur source, victors and losers, World War I, World War II, worldview, young windbag
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“Birthday!”
“Birthday!” The way you can tell that “I” don’t choose these topics (but respond – as if to an inner prompt) is instanced here: why would anyone (over twenty one) choose that one? My acupuncturist tells me that I’m 29 … Continue reading
Posted in Absurdism, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Autonomy, beauty, Childhood, Chivalry, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Institutional Power, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Memoir, Mind Control, Modernism, Mortality, motherhood, nineteenth-century, non-violence, Oppression, Past and Future, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Political, Power, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged a life of one's own, acupuncture, Aging, Authenticity, bad checks, battening the hatches, being duped, being misinformed, biography, birthday, bitterness, blunders, celebration, chi, children blaming parents, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, cosmic perspective, countering depression, cultural mistakes, cutting losses, delusions of love, depression, disappointment, dramatic people, extraordinary people, facing facts, fascinating people, fear of aging, filial piety, global perspective, global suffering, God's eye view, going strong, heartbreak, honoring father and mother, human history, Leo Bronstein, life foundation, life missteps, life mistakes, life path, life's unfairness, looking younger than your age, mentor, misplaced hopes, mistaken beliefs, mistakes of the culture, mistakes of youth, native ground, native track, necessary mistakes, negative acts, old souls, original life, originality, overprotection, parent-child relationships, parenting, Parenting 101, personal pathway, personal presence, Plan A, Plan D, problem of evil, problem of pain, public intellectuals, rebellion, recovery, recuperation, refusal, romantic delusions, spectator, strong personality, tapering off, unfairness, victory, Walking Wounded, war wounds, winding down
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“Philosophical Gossip”
“Philosophical Gossip” Not long ago, the writer Cynthia Ozick had a front page piece in the New York Times Book Review about gossip. In her usual talent-laden voice, Ozick wrestles with the double sense of gossip. Could it be deplorable … Continue reading
Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Atheism, Autonomy, Bible, Childhood, Chivalry, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Courtship, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Films, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Jews, Journalism, Law, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, master, Memoir, Mind Control, Modernism, Mortality, nineteenth-century, Oppression, Past and Future, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, Power, Propaganda, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Sexuality, slave, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Theism, Theology, Time, twentieth century, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged "the evil tongue", "the few and the many", "the noble and the base", 19th century novels, Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Defining Evil Away: Arendt's Forgiveness", banality of evil, behaviorism, Bettina Stangneth's Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer, censorship, charisma, clandestine romance, classical philosophers, colleagues, collegiality, conventional religion, courtship, Cynthia Ozick, Cynthia Ozick's "The Novel's Evil Tongue", de-Nazification, dominance and submission, dramatic lives, eavesdropping, Eichmann trial transcript, emigres, evil as conformism, female vulnerability, Femininity, fiction, flattery, free will, freedom, German-Jewish philosophers, German-Jewish students, gossip, Hannah Arendt, Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, Hans Jonas Memoirs, Hans Jonas The Gnostic Religion, Henry James, historical characters, Jane Austen, lashon hara, Leo Strauss, Leo Strauss' Persecution and the Art of Writing, Letters 1925-1975: Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger, lifelong love affair, lifelong romance, love letter, Male Power, malice, Martin Heidegger, modern sensibility, Modernity, moral choice, narrative, novelists, Orthodox Judaism, persecution, persona, personal magnetism, personal v political, philosophers, philosophic friendships, philosophic lives, philosophic romances, Philosophy v Religion, plot lines, private passion, private persons, professorial power, public intellectuals, public v private, refugees, seduction, slander, Stanley Rosen, Tarzan and Jane, The Nazi Party, The New York Times Book Review, theologians, Tolstoy, University of Chicago, unpretentiousness, whitewashing, World War II
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“What the Fortune Cookie Said”
“What the Fortune Cookie Said” In the last few weeks, whenever we’ve brought home supper from the Chinese take-out place, and opened the fortune cookie, mine has been deplorable. Things like, “When climbing the hill of difficulty, don’t slip and … Continue reading
Posted in "Absolute Freedom and Terror", Absurdism, Academe, Action, Alienation, Anthropology, Art, Art of Living, Autonomy, Chivalry, Cities, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Courage, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Femininity, Feminism, Freedom, Friendship, Gender Balance, Guilt and Innocence, Health, Hegel, Heroes, hidden God, History, history of ideas, Idealism, Ideality, Identity, Ideology, Idolatry, Institutional Power, Legal Responsibility, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Martyrdom, Masculinity, master, Memoir, Mind Control, Modernism, Past and Future, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, Power, Propaganda, Psychology, Public Intellectual, Reductionism, relationships, Religion, Roles, Seduction, Sex Appeal, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, The Problematic of Woman, Time, twentieth century, twenty-first century, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged A.P.A., Abigail L. Rosenthal's "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", academic audience, academic journals, academic publication, achievement, aftermath, American Philosophical Association, Amy Reuther PT, anonymity, Ariadne's Thread, blog, blogging, broken bones, burka, c.v., celebrity, China, Chinese take-out, classified information, colleagues, collegiality, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, destiny, Dewey Lecture, dream warnings, Eastern and Western medicine, elusiveness, Epilogue, fame, fashion, fate, felicity, final chapter, fortune, fortune cookie, fulfillment, government secrets, Greek mythology, healing, hero, heroine, hiding, ill-fortune, ill-luck, injury, introverts, invisibility, invited lecture, labryrinth, life goal, life quest, luck, mending, Minotaur, modesty, New York City, night life, obscurity, peer-reviewed, performance, philosophical journals, preface, primary care doctor, privacy, Prologue, public figures, public intellectuals, public persona, publicity, readership, recovery, recuperation, rehabilitation, revealing clothes, Richard J. Firnhaber acupuncturist, self-concealment, short skirts, significant coincidences, social media, social networks, Success, synchronicities, Theseus, university press, writers, writing
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“Hanging Fire”
“Hanging Fire” I seem to be at a rather gratifying plateau. “Confessions of a Young Philosopher” is now edited almost to completion. It may take another few weeks but the major hurdles have been cleared. It is, if I may … Continue reading
Posted in Academe, Action, Alienation, Art, Autonomy, Cities, Class, Contemplation, Contradictions, Cool, Culture, Desire, dialectic, Erotic Life, Eternity, Ethics, Evil, Existentialism, Faith, Fashion, Freedom, Friendship, Guilt and Innocence, History, history of ideas, Identity, Ideology, Institutional Power, Jews, life and death struggle, Literature, Love, Male Power, Masculinity, Memoir, Modernism, Philosophy, Political, Political Movements, Power, Psychology, Reductionism, relationships, Roles, Seduction, Social Conventions, Sociobiology, Spirituality, Suffering, Terror, The Examined Life, The Problematic of Men, Theism, Time, twentieth century, Violence, War, Work, Writing, Zeitgeist
Tagged "Confessions of a Young Philosopher", "Conversations with My Father", "The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes's Secret; Spinoza's Way" by Henry M. Rosenthal; ed. Abigail L. Rosenthal, 9/11, American culture, archives, biography, blessings, book projects, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, cracking the code, editing, enigma, experience of God, fathers and daughters, genius, Henry M. Rosenthal, High School of Music and Art, historical memoir, Hobbes, Holocaust rescue, intellectual friendships, Islamism, Jews, journals, letters, liberal intellectuals, Lionel Trilling, literary critic, male friendship, New York, New York intellectuals, Partisan Review, personal correspondence, personal God, philosophy, posthumous conversations, posthumous publication, public intellectuals, rationalism, seventeenth century rationalists, Spinoza, Terror, terrorism, theism, theistic experience, victims, Wars of Religion, writing
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