I can’t help but notice the parallels between our era and the ancient one described by Plato: a time of unprecedented wealth that breeds masses of unhappy, disconnected people who live lives of gilded desperation. I see it everywhere I turn in the airport this morning. It seems to be the increasingly dominant spirit of the time, our Zeitgeist.
Know Thyself by Alexander Pope Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is Man. Placed on this isthmus of a middle state, A being darkly wise and rudely great: With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side, With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride, He hangs between; in …
"There are two things that I want you to make up your minds to: first, that you are going to have a good time as long as you live - I have no use for the sour-faced man - and next, that you are going to do something worthwhile, that you are going to work …
"Truth is the beginning of every good thing, both in heaven and on earth; and he who would be blessed and happy should be from the first a partaker of truth, for then he can be trusted." ~ Plato I've frequently argued that man suffers greatly whenever his understanding is distorted by false and limiting …
"The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life." ~ Plato The transition into the 20th century was a watershed event for both medicine and education. Over the course of a few decades, medical education and the system of primary and secondary education employed in our nation relinquished their classical …
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light." ~ Plato There was an interesting article in the New York Times 'Opinionator' yesterday that compared the views of optimistic Darwinians and pessimistic Darwinians on the concept of morality ("Moral Camouflage or …
In yesterday's post I made the point that internal changes modify that which emanates from you and as a result others see you in a new light. How they perceive you is related to ethos, for ethos belongs not to you but to your audience.
Gregory Hake 