Reading as Meditation – A Creative Practice
Reading as meditation is the creative practice of attending to the text to evoke the image of thought that penetrates the reader.
Rudolf Otto on the Fearful and Fascinating Mystery of the Holy
In Idea of the Holy, philosopher and theologian, Rudolf Otto shows the numinous, the fearful and fascinating mystery of the holy, evokes deep worship.
Barn Burning on Intuition and the Banality of Evil
Barn Burning is written by Haruki Murkami is loosely based on William Faulkner’s story and explores themes of evil, intuition, metaphor, and memory.
The Best Books for Teaching and Learning
The best books for teaching and learning include insights on neuroscience, biology, philosophy, psychology, and communication theory.
Mircea Eliade and The Myth of the Eternal Return
In his 1949 book, The Myth of the Eternal Return, Mircea Eliade explores the role of repetition, imagination, and participation in creating history.
Big Data Danger and the Costs of Connection
Big data danger, according to Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias in The Costs of Connection, is not just about information but life – and what represents life.
Gaston Bachelard and Mircea Eliade on the Existential and Cognitive Functions of the Imagination
The phenomenology of Gaston Bachelard inspired the work of Mircea Eliade on the cognitive and existential functions of the imagination.
Kenneth Burke on Bad Readers
Kenneth Burke says bad readers stem from the spread of literacy through compulsory education and the culture’s inability to pay attention.
Rethinking the Winchester Mystery House
According to legend, the erratic architecture of the Winchester Mystery House was designed to confuse the spirits who haunted Sarah Winchester.
My Super-Nerdy Reading Strategy for Finishing Books
Finishing books is possible with a little strategic planning. Here is how I slay my book debt at the end of the year to reach my reading goals.
Kojin Karatani on the Will to Architecture
Kojin Karatani’s “will to architecture” surfaces in disciplines ranging from literature and psychoanalysis to anthropology and mathematics.
John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row Literary Tour
“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” John Steinbeck, Cannery Row
Paul Valery on the Common Material of Poets and Philosophers
Paul Valery challenges the arbitrary divide between the poet and the philosopher while considering the intellectual rigor of the poet.
Independent Scholarship: Joseph Campbell on Reading Nine Hours a Day
Joseph Campbell discusses independent scholarship and the admirable discipline of reading nine hours a day for five years straight.
Clive Thompson on the Creative Imagination of Coders
Clive Thompson explores the origin stories of coders and recognizes they share one common character trait: a creative imagination.