Suggested Readings

The Philosophy Garden, Stoicism and beyond

Woman with wax tablets and stylus (so-called "Sappho"), Naples Archeological Museum

Musical Stoicism. Are Stoics allowed to enjoy music? What kinds of music would a Stoic listen to? These are questions I see frequently asked on Facebook and other social gathering spaces for modern Stoics. And with good reason: music is a big part of our lives. We all know how powerful it is to influence our thoughts and emotions. Music has frequently been co-opted to shape character and influence opinion—think about religious and patriotic songs, not to mention commercial jingles, or didactic songs to teach children the periodic table or the ABCs. You might be surprised to learn that there is a long history of musical inquiry and appreciation in Stoicism, going all the way back to ancient Greece but re-explored in depth during the Neostoic revival of the 16th century. And I am pleased to say that a magnificent book has recently been published on this very topic by Melinda Latour, Associate Professor of Musicology at Tufts University. Today we’ll be looking at this tour-de-force work, The Voice of Virtue: Moral Song and the Practice of French Stoicism, 1574-1652 (Oxford University Press, 2023). … (Stoicism for Humans)

Schrödinger’s cat and Heisenberg’s cut. There are at least two kinds of Schrödinger’s cat. There is Schrödinger’s cat parody or paradox, short details of which the physicist Erwin Schrödinger published in the German scientific journal Naturwissenschaften in 1935. And there is a Schrödinger’s cat of popular culture. According to the Google Books Ngram Viewer, the latter started to rise to prominence in the 1960s and 70s. The philosopher and historian Robert P. Crease credits science fiction author Ursula Le Guin as the first to introduce Schrödinger’s cat into a work of literary fiction in 1974 (see here), it and really took off in the 80s along with the expanding market for popular science, science fiction, and science fantasy, with the number of references continuing to increase to 2019. … (Jim Baggott Substack)

Ur-Fascism, by Umberto Eco. [Old, but still so very relevant, unfortunately.] In 1942, at the age of ten, I received the First Provincial Award of Ludi Juveniles (a voluntary, compulsory competition for young Italian Fascists—that is, for every young Italian). I elaborated with rhetorical skill on the subject “Should we die for the glory of Mussolini and the immortal destiny of Italy?” My answer was positive. I was a smart boy. I spent two of my early years among the SS, Fascists, Republicans, and partisans shooting at one another, and I learned how to dodge bullets. It was good exercise. … (New York Review of Books)

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Implicit bias: All your questions answered. Even if you’re not a psychologist, I bet you’ve heard of implicit bias. In 2016, Hilary Clinton mentioned it in a debate with Donald Trump, saying, "Implicit bias is a problem for everyone." Five years later, Merrick Garland was questioned as part of his confirmation hearing for becoming Attorney General, and one of the senators asked him about this about implicit bias. Does that mean I'm a racist no matter what I do or what I think? I'm a racist but I don't know I'm a racist?" Garland responded. … (Small Potatoes by Paul Bloom)

The case for resurrecting the lost world of collective bathing. In 2008, the Japanese comic book artist Mari Yamazaki began working on a manga called Thermae Romae. Published the following year, it’s set in ancient Rome and follows a Roman architect named Lucius. Tasked with designing a bathhouse, or thermae, Lucius struggles to come up with new ideas — until he discovers a secret tunnel in his neighborhood spa that inexplicably leads him to a bathhouse located in modern-day Japan. … (BigThink)