Walker Percy Wednesday – 5
I have to admire the St Louisan for his neat and well-ordered life, his gold pencil and his scissors-knife and his way of clipping articles on the convergence of the physical sciences and the social sciences; it comes over me that in the past few days my own life has gone to seed. I no longer eat and sleep regularly or write philosophical notes in my notebook and my fingernails are dirty. The search has spoiled the pleasure of my tidy and ingenious life in Gentilly. As late as a week ago, such a phrase as “hopefully awaiting the gradual convergence of the physical sciences and the social sciences” would have provoked no more than an ironic tingle or two at the back of my neck. Now it howls through the Ponchitoula Swamp, the very sound and soul of despair.
Walker Percy, Philosopher
A Confederacy of Dunces: extracts (44)
He dramatically whipped from his pelvis the sheet, flapping it open. Among the yellow stains the word FORWARD was printed in high block letters in red crayon. Below this Crusade for Moorish Dignity was written in an intricate blue script.
“Sheet? What sheet!” Ignatius replied. “I am holding before you the proudest of banners, an identification of our purpose, a visualization of all that we seek.” The workers studied the stains more intensely. “If you wish to simply run into the office like cattle, you will have participated in nothing more than a riot. This banner alone gives form and credence to the agitation. There is a certain geometry involved in these things, a certain ritual which must be observed. Here, you two ladies standing there, take this between you and wave it thus with honor and pride, hands held high, et cetera.”
The two women who Ignatius indicated ambled slowly to the cutting table, gingerly took the banner with their thumbs and index fingers, and held it between them as if it were a leper’s shroud.
David Wiggins
To mark the birthday of David below is a relatively recent and welcome return by him to metaphysics after moving away, primarily to ethics, for the latter part of his career. Sameness and Substance would figure in my top twenty favourite philosophical books, historical or contemporary, and one of a handful of direct influences upon my technical writing. I had the privilege of being one of his students for ethics but as it happens at that time he’d moved away from metaphysics. David is a very kind, gentle, low-key and equitable man who went into bat for me and other students I knew. David is a philosopher’s philosopher as one would say, something that is sadly unfashionable these days.
Hadrian the Seventh: extracts (11)
Frank Ramsey: Shooting Star of Cambridge
My chum and collaborator Andrew Irvine reviews Cheryl Misak’s book for the TLS.
Bobby Womack
Bobby would have been 77 on the 4th.
Bunny Wailer
Walker Percy Wednesday – 4
In Feliciana we used to speculate on the new messiah, the scientist-philosopher-mystic who would come striding through the ruins with the Gita in one hand and a Geiger counter in the other.
Walker Percy, Philosopher
A Confederacy of Dunces: extracts (43)
“We shall storm the office very shortly, thereby surprising the foe when his senses are still subject to the psychic mists of early morning.”
“Hey, Mr. R., pardon me,” a man called out from the crowd. “Somebody tell me you in trouble with a po-lice. Is that right?”
A wave of anxiety and uneasiness broke over the workers.
“What?” Ignatius screamed. “Where did you hear such slander. That is totally false. Some white supremacist, some update red-neck, perhaps even Gonzalez himself no doubt began that vile rumor. How dare you, sir. All of you must realize that our cause has many enemies”.
manwithoutqualities 