The March newsletter for Looking for Wisdom Subscribers. In this issue: Mesoamerican philosophy; women weaving arguments in the ancient world; and the many philosophies of happiness.
Sunzi's "The Art of War" is an ancient Chinese text that has become famous worldwide for its insights into strategy. Even today, it is still a go-to reference for military and business leaders.
Three stories of women philosophers in the ancient world weaving arguments to challenge their male contemporaries. Gārgī Vācaknavī in India, Hipparchia in Greece, and Jing Jiang in China.
The last few decades have seen a growth in the scientific study of wisdom. But what is the science of wisdom? And what gets left out of these accounts?
Philosophy is the love of wisdom. But throughout its history, philosophy has also been haunted by wisdom's opposite: foolishness. So what is the relationship between philosophy and foolishness?
Deng Xi was a lawyer and philosopher associated with the so-called "School of Names". He was skilled in debate and frequently caused confusion by simultaneously arguing opposite viewpoints.
For Mencius and Aristotle, wisdom involves the cultivation of virtues. But how do we do thi, and how do we build a society that supports this cultivation?
February's newsletter for Looking for Wisdom Subscribers. Philosopher File interviews, jesters and sages, and philosophical desserts for the sweet-toothed.
Wisdom is often seen as an intellectual virtue. But what role does the body have in developing and maintaining wisdom? In this class, we're looking at flesh and spirit, gut feelings, and why wisdom cannot ignore the body.
The Presocratic philosophers are famously strange and difficult; but of all of them, Anaxagoras, who saw the universe as essentially gunky, is one of the strangest.
In this week's class, we're exploring the limits of wisdom, and we're looking at two very different philosophers, one from the European tradition, and one from the Chinese tradition: Socrates and Zhuangzi.