“The future stands still, dear Mr. Kappus, but we move in infinite space” Franz Xaver Kappus was a young man dreaming of becoming a poet in the early 1903. A great admirer of the already accomplished poet R.M. Rilke, he wrote a letter asking for advice on how to become a poet. This book is 10 letters out of 6 years of correspondence. We read only Rilke’s answers to Mr. Kappus, but the answers are so universal and thorough that we do not need the […]
Less Sexism Than I Expected
Yet another selection from class. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to this one though the length was going to be a nice break compared to the rest of the reading list so I was actually pleasantly surprised when I read this. I think what little previous interactions I have had with Rousseau have involved his later work in which he comes off as a sexist, misogynistic ass that romanticizes nature and “man’s natural state” way too much. Imagine my surprise when in this, he states […]
Life, Liberty and Estate
I read this as part of my masters class on “Social Contract, Class and Wealth.” While it was shorter than some of our other selections so far, I am not entirely made up about my feelings on Locke. He has become such an important corner stone of what founded our government that it is hard to see things through the appropriate lens. Instead of being awed and shocked by his view of things, I had more of a “yep, that’s how we do things” reaction. […]
The Consolation of Philosophy
Boethius, a prominent statesmen in Italy (after the fall of the western part of the Roman Empire), wrote The Consolation of Philosophy while imprisoned for treason after having been one of the most important advisors to the king of Italy. He declares himself innocent of the charges, and as this piece begins, he is in despair, under arrest. It is at this time that his old muse, Philosophy, comes to him, to console him and remind him of himself and the actual path to happiness. […]
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