Category: Living

In the days when I worked in the financial services industry, from time to time someone would discover that my academic background was neither in economics nor finance (nor mathematics, nor physics) and would ask me whether I thought my training in philosophy was of benefit or of hindrance to my work.   This question was usually asked in such a tone as to suggest that studying philosophy would – rather obviously -­ be inadequate as a preparation for a successful career in finance.   I tried my best to make the contrary case.

Continue reading “My Philosophy: On leading a considered life”

To All, I have an unorthodox request:  What book would you recommend me on the theme of ‘authenticity’?  Ideally a novel, but any type of creative and narrative text would do.

I’m asking because I am enrolled in a ‘Literature and Philosophy’ class — and it is a requirement of our term paper that we crowdsource book recommendations from algorithms, peers and strangers.  Notwithstanding what we (and I !) have said lately about the quality of education, there are still innovative professors with worthwhile agendas in the classrooms.

Thank you so much for your suggestions and I’m looking forward to them!

Continue reading “Book Recommendation”

Composed as a lyrical musing on Similarly … 

As a pragmatic, I approach reality with this simple question: within my perceptions, what is there to be known?  Instinctively, I look for patterns, for ‘the point’, for ‘take-aways’.  Meanwhile, Peter urges: “Merely experience complexity; witness how it cannot be captured.”  His ‘point’ is fascinating, yet for the mind who wants to know, it is indeed dizzying.  

Continue reading “Dancing with Words”

My son is in second grade, and complains regularly about it.  Part of it is my fault; I’ve been pushing him to read, both together with me and on his own, since he could speak, and he now reads a lot.  Unfortunately, the books of the moment are from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  I take heart in the fact that it’s written about and for middle school boys, and my son is thus reading comfortably at a level three of four levels above his grade.  But the books do encourage a negative attitude about school in general.  His second grade teacher is good, but this is her first experience at this grade level: interestingly, up until now in her career, she’s been a middle school teacher.  And like his father, my son is a relentless and laser sharp critic.

Continue reading “An educated guess”

Mark’s most recent post had me thinking on multiple levels – about the way education works, also prompted by a link to another essay which bothered me to no end from Matt Boutte, who trenchantly commented on Mark’s ramblings – about economics as a discipline, and how it intersects (or really acts as a skew line) versus the actual conduct of economic activity – about the actual articles he cited, one of which I read and had a similarly visceral reaction to, the other of which I stand tempted to read but, really, why?

And then I got distracted.

Continue reading “Similarly”