Rene Descartes thought he had an answer to Pyrrhonism and all other systems of doubt.  He expressed it this way: I think I shall not act badly if, having turned my will around in exactly the opposite direction, I deceive myself and pretend for a while that these beliefs are completely false and imaginary until…

On another page that I not only have not announced, I will probably close soon, I’ve explored whether Tolstoy could be my next subject to examine. And I’ve determined that, no, Tolstoy doesn’t suit me and takes my writing to places it doesn’t belong. And I say this while deeply admiring Tolstoy’s art and attempts…

We must be like the man when asked why he took so much pains in an art which could come to the knowledge of so few people, replied: ‘Few are enough for me, one is enough for me, none at all is enough for me.’ He spoke truly: you and one companion are an adequate…

So, I’ve finally made my way to the centerpiece essay of Volume 1, On Friendship, about a week later than I hoped. I don’t know why I expected this to move more quickly, the essays begin to get very long around the 20 mark and I should anticipate that by now. I also ran into…

The latest episode (S2, E7) of the AppleTV+ show “Severence” was maybe the saddest TV episode I’ve ever seen. No point elaborating, you’re either into the show or you aren’t and if you don’t know all of the backstory, this particular episode won’t mean all that much. But I do want to point out that…

My Montaigne translation project is moving along at a rapid pace. I have already translated the first 19 Montaigne essays and am hard at work on #20, which is a fairly lengthy one (To Philosophize is to Learn How to Die.) I hope to work my way through On Friendship tomorrow. All of these are…