Avowedly polemical, without a single footnote, and aiming at the educated, non-academic or academic, reader, this short and punchy book - a manifesto, manual of instruction, and inspirational romp through the history of philosophy - argues that what we typically take to be 'philosophy' these days is actually not philosophy in the strong or 'true' sense at all, but a mix of intellectual history, the history of philosophy, philosophical scholarship, and 'academic' philosophy. More specifically, I elaborate, by way of a (...) plethora of examples culled from across the history of philosophy, how "authentically philosophical" writing (as opposed to its academic-scholarly-historical-philosophical counterpart) works, making a pedagogical-institutional recommendation for the creation of what I envision as MFT (Master of Fine Thought) programs in the process. (shrink)

Literary Nonfiction. Essay. Philosophy. Personal Growth. Spirituality. A sheer delight to read and think along with, these aphorisms and philosophical miniatures will astound, enliven, and inspire anyone ready and willing to risk a fresh, unflinching look at the world, humanity, and the often curious ways in which we think, act, and feel...Like truffles that gradually dissolve on our tongue, suffusing us with the gustatory memory of their transient shape and texture, and leaving us desiring more.

A new ethic for thinking and being -- Situation -- Pressure points -- Fear -- Through a glass, darkly -- Yoga for the mind -- The fourteen poses -- Practicing yoga for the mind -- Meridians of thought -- Slow thought -- Philosophical thinking is yoga for the mind -- Meridians of thought: mapping the pathways of thinking -- The body and the five meridians of thought -- The meridians of thought: The thoughtractys -- The five meridians of thought: distinction, (...) perspective, relation, movement, sense. (shrink)