the phenomenology of body
“My life has always somehow been played out in a minor key, unresolved. Art somehow resolves things for me. Through art, you create your own world.” – Daphne Guinness
the intersection of practice and talent
To the social philosopher, the intersection of practice and talent poses a general question about agency: we are minded to believe that engagement is better than passivity. The pursuit of quality is also a matter of agency, the craftsman’s driving motive. But agency does not happen in a social or emotional vacuum, particularly good-quality work. The desire to do something well is a personal litmus test; inadequate personal performance hurts in a different way than inequalities of inherited social position or the externals of wealth: it is about you.
fear, not love
“People react to fear, not love. They don’t teach that in Sunday school, but it’s true.” – Richard Nixon