Martin Buber, in his Introduction to Pointing the Way makes an extremely important distinction between two forms of religiosity: In this selection of my essays from the years 1909 to 1954, I have, with one exception, included only those that, in the main, I can also stand behind today. The one exception is ‘The Teaching … Continue reading Buber on misapotheosis
Ultimately, I see Judaism not as an original revelation of an absolute truth, but as an initiatory constitution (covenant) and an initiating thrust toward relationship with an inconceivable, incomprehensible Absolute. The present of Judaism is suspended between from and toward. This is radical Reform Judaism. One of Adonai’s favorite rebukes is “stiff-necked people”. Plato also … Continue reading Metareform Judaism
I used to say this often, but I haven’t in a while: a soul extends to the limits of what we mean when we say “everything”. Each soul is universe-sized. This is why I sometimes refer to everythings, plural. Materialists who believe that a soul (psyche) is an emergent property of our nervous system, and … Continue reading More than every possible everything
Each time I see a young people’s eyes light up at the mention of the word “ethics” — and, oh, how they do light up! — I remember this Nietzsche passage: So, how many people know how to observe? And of these few, how many to observe themselves? ‘Everyone is farthest from himself — every … Continue reading “That quick, willing, convinced, talkative manner”
Below is a response to the fifth aphorism from Gershom Scholem’s “Ten Unhistorical Aphorisms on the Kabbalah”: I (semi-ignorantly) intuit that Hegel’s dialectic rises only as far as Da’at d’Yetzirah. I suggest Yetzirah, because Hegel clearly leads his reader beyond Assiyah, by effecting changes in enworldment through Yetziratic (Yetz-erotic?) reunderstanding, thus demonstrating (for cooperative, receptive … Continue reading Who shall I say is calling?
I make a strong distinction between apprehension, which touches without grasping, and through its touch-feel knows that something is. Comprehension grasps and through its grip-form knows what is grasped. Apprehension is existential know-that. Comprehension is intellectual know-what. But the intellect can make many grip-forms in empty space, and whatever grip-form it makes is what it … Continue reading Inapprehensible
One thing I’ve picked up from both philosophy and esoterism is cautious humility. Every philosophical accomplishment feels like arriving at the ultimate goal. After reaching final enlightenment multiple times, and then seeing others arrive at the same enlightenment and do their touchdown dances, we start assuming that these victories are more commonplace than we can … Continue reading Embracing personal finitude
We humans have no idea how to handle conversions. When “the scales fall from our eyes”, or… …when we suddenly become aware of the element within which we swim (“this is water!”)… …when we suddenly become aware of the gross institutionalized, systemic injustice of a system that we, ourselves, have participated in… …when we wake … Continue reading Schmoness: a tantrum
Let’s stop distorting the meaning of subjectivity by situating it within an essentially objective world. But that objective world within which we understand ourselves to be situated is produced by our subjectivity, through its own participation in reality. It is reality within which we are situated. Objectivity (and the objective truth we know about it) … Continue reading Reenworld thyself
We have a deficient sense of nothingness. * When we lose vision, we do not see blackness. Instead, we see boiling chrome. When we lose a leg, instead of numbness, we are tormented by an aching phantom limb. When we lose our hearing, rather than submersion in silence, we hear intolerable hypersonic ringing. When we … Continue reading Sense of nothingness
Once we finally recognize the degree to which truth is instaurated through our own participation in our own local and contingent patch of reality, we are faced with a decision, which is an ultimate matter of faith: We can take this recognition of truth’s being as somehow absolute, or We can take this recognition of … Continue reading Instaurationalism’s fork
A friend of mine has a habit of sending me emails consisting of simple, beautiful questions. Years ago he introduced me to Christopher Alexander. When Alexander died I sent him an email, and that started a discussion of Alexander’s later work. This was the context (at least for me) of his latest question-poem: What is … Continue reading Since you asked…
Ok, I just had a small, decent-quality tantrum into the margin of Guenon’s The Great Triad, which helps define my own perspective on religion against that of the Sophia Perennis: The manifestation of the Buddha is therefore the ‘redescent from Heaven to Earth’, as the Emerald Tablet describes it; and the being who in this … Continue reading We need speculative metaphysics because we need nouns
Premise: If everyone conducted themselves as designers, not only at work, but all the time, most of our biggest interpersonal and social problems could be resolved. For instance, my advice to designers I know who have been caught in conflicts, especially in political debates that have devolved into fights, is “stop thinking about politics politically, … Continue reading Living designally
The supreme evil is solipsism. To prefer one’s own imagined world to the transcendently real world — To prefer one’s own categories to the real being of fellow-beings — To prefer one’s own theorized dynamics to the actual doing of fellow beings — To prefer one’s own moral formulae to the intrinsic value of fellow … Continue reading 1200 cubic centimeter universe
Religion (when it is real religion) helps form an active, mutual relationship between a person and the infinite reality in whom each person participates as a unique, divine spark. Fundamentalism (which is misunderstood as extreme religion, but which is failure of religion) severs relationship with infinite reality and replaces in with beliefs. The entirety of … Continue reading Man, I really hate Fundamentalism
Susan keeps asking if there might be an upside to the wokeness convulsion our society is undergoing. She hopes it might inspire people to have conversations they might not have otherwise had and to develop real empathy. I’m pretty sure this hope is an expectation widely shared among progressives. I think the entire project is … Continue reading Susan’s hope, my hope