What I'm proposing, to myself and other people, is what I often call the tourist attitude - that you act as though you've never been there before. If you really get down to brass tacks, we have never ... Read More about Zest, the Spice of Life: Opening to Horizons
Week 10: Autonomy
Freedom
I do not believe we can have any freedom at all in the philosophical sense, for we act not only under external compulsion but also by inner necessity. Schopenhauer’s saying— “A man can surely do what ... Read More about Freedom
Liberating
Becoming liberated is the act of breaking free from constraint. Constraint may be physical, spiritual or both. Those who experience a moment of liberation usually remember it all their lives. Our art ... Read More about Liberating
Choosing
We may indeed in counsel point to the higher road, but we cannot compel any free creature to walk upon it. That leadeth to tyranny, which disfigureth good and maketh it seem hateful. [J.R.R. Tolkien, ... Read More about Choosing
Planning
Because we are autonomous beings capable of imagining what is possible, we can plan actions that can transform our dreams into reality. The ability to plan is an essential part of the human narrative. ... Read More about Planning
Will
The emotional component of autonomy is the will. Philosophers will continue to debate whether it is real but no one can afford to live as though it is not. ... Read More about Will
Autonomy
Though our paths and our fortunes may be linked, each of us experiences life as an autonomous individual. Fantasy though it may be, it seems as though we are endowed with an independence of person. ... Read More about Autonomy