From David Horace Harwell’s Walker Percy Remembered. Campbell is a genuine “character“.
lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar
Well, Plant is back and the initial reviews seem to be very warm and pretty similar.
A Guide for the Perplexed
No, not Maimonides but Werner Herzog. Here’s a review in The Telegraph — Herzog is more a wayfarer than a wonderer.
Herzog is a wanderer – on foot, wherever possible – and the sheer amount of information he has gleaned about different corners of the world takes the breath away. Travellers, soldier-poets, artisans, astronauts – these are the people who earn Herzog’s respect.
Walker Percy Weekend ’15
Pleased to hear that there will definitely be another WP weekend. This was the most convivial “conference” I have ever been to.
Scaffoldings of the affective mind
Yet another piece from the excellent Joel Krueger (as co-author).
EPISTEME: some “first view” articles
Walter Inglis Anderson
A Confederacy of Dunces – quotes and extracts – 69
“Of course,” Ignatius said in a thoughtful, serious voice, “this could be a worldwide deception.” “The next war could turn out to be one massive orgy. Good grief. How many of the military leaders of the world may simply be deranged old sodomites acting out some fake fantasy role? Actually, this might be quite beneficial to the world. It could mean an end to war forever. This could be the key to lasting peace.”
Two nerve ends in Ignatius’ mind met and formed an immediate association. Perhaps he had found a means of assaulting the effrontery of M. Minkoff.
“The power-crazed leaders of the world would certainly be surprised to find that their military leaders and troops were only masquerading sodomites who were only too eager to meet the masquerading sodomite armies of other nations in order to have dances and balls and learn some foreign dance steps.”
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful? The government would pay us to travel. How divine. We would bring an end to world strife and renew people’s hope and faith.”
“Perhaps you are the hope for the future,” Ignatius said, dramatically pounding one paw into the other. “There certainly doesn’t seem to be anything else on the horizon.”
“We would also help to end the population explosion.”
“Oh, my God!” The blue and yellow eyes flashed wildly. “Your method would probably be more satisfying and acceptable than the rather stringent birth control tactics which I have always advocated. I must dedicate some space to this in my writings. This subject deserves the attention of a profound thinker who has a certain perspective on the world’s cultural development. I am certainly glad that you have given me this valuable insight” (pp. 216-217).
Nozick’s last interview?
Julian Sanchez interviews the great man.
And in the spring, I’m giving a course jointly with a professor in the Slavic Languages department on Dostoyevsky and his philosophical ideas, and the difference that is made when philosophical ideas are presented in works of fiction rather than in discursive prose.
It’s the difference between people who want to meet arguments, even when they disagree with their conclusions, and those who want to dismiss arguments by scorn or contempt . . .
CFP: Cosmos + Taxis
The interdisciplinary journal Cosmos + Taxis is issuing a call for papers for its second conference on spontaneous orders, to be held at the Rochester Institute of Technology from May 8 to May 9, 2015.
Both days will feature morning and afternoon sessions and informal lunches and dinners. The theme of the conference is “Spontaneous Order in Economic and Political Thought from Smith to Hayek and Beyond.”
We are looking for papers that explore spontaneous orders or complexity theory in the history of political and/or economic thought, including but not limited to work on thinkers such as Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, Herbert Simon, Michael Polanyi, and, of course, Friedrich Hayek. More contemporary work that builds on these traditions is also welcome.
Papers that are selected for presentation will be considered for inclusion in Cosmos + Taxis, an open-source peer-reviewed journal.
Participants will be provided with lodging and meals while in Rochester, NY and may apply for additional travel assistance, depending on funding availability and need. The deadline for abstract submission is October 1, 2015.
The abstract must be an extended one of between 500 and 600 words, not including an optional list of up to 10 key literature references. The abstracts will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel. Due to the interactive format of the conference, we will select between 12 and 14 of the proposed papers for inclusion in the final program. Final versions of accepted papers are due April 1, 2015. All accepted papers are allotted 45 minutes of program time.
Extended abstracts and papers should be submitted by email as a Word document to David.Andersson@nottingham.edu.cn.
