“He was only a little taller than Lucy herself and he carried over his head an umbrella, white with snow. From the waist upwards he was like a man, but his legs were shaped like a goat's (the hair on them was glossy black) and instead of feet he had goat's hoofs. He also had a tail, but Lucy did not notice this at first because it was neatly caught up over the arm that held the umbrella so as to keep it from trailing in the snow. He had a red woollen muffler round his neck and his skin was … [Read more...] about The Glories of Being Enchanted
Life Advice
Why College Degrees Might Not Be Worth It
“Is the Scholarly Life Still Worth Pursuing?” Phillip Dolitsky recently asked at Public Discourse. The answer depends on what is meant by “scholarly life.” Dolitsky is specifically asking about whether it is worth entering a PhD program in strategic studies. But his question can be applied more broadly. Is it still worth going to college at all? Let’s begin by considering a rather curious book: Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work, by Matthew Crawford. The most … [Read more...] about Why College Degrees Might Not Be Worth It
On Living Well
Sometimes, Admiration is the only appropriate response to a book. Case in Point: On Reading Well, by Karen Swallow Prior (Prior’s nom de Twitter is NotoriousKSP, which tells you a lot.) On Reading Well is remarkable for how cleverly structured it is. When you are looking at a Great Painting, you first notice the image, but as you look at it longer, you notice that the brilliance of the painting is not the object which was painted, but the way the author constructed that image. What … [Read more...] about On Living Well
How to Have a Great Conversation
Conversation is underappreciated. When you think about collegiate learning environments, you instantly imagine the lecture hall or the seminar room. That seems like the place where learning is supposed to happen. A professor pontificates or asks “discussion questions.” (“Discussion questions” is all too often an inaccurate term; most “discussion questions” do not lead to “discussion.”) Students absorb information. Maybe they read some books too. But, that image of learning leaves out … [Read more...] about How to Have a Great Conversation
Looking at Life Off Kilter
“It was the living who ignored the strange and wonderful, because it was too full of the boring and mundane. But it was strange.”Windle Poons had that realization while he was munching on celery in the dark lying in his coffin shortly after his burial. Let’s back up a bit. Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett, beings with Death being fired from his job. Apparently Death had developed too much of a personality (he is one of the most amusing characters in Discworld, after all), so the Powers That … [Read more...] about Looking at Life Off Kilter
The Gravity of Love
“Once Upon a time” is how all good stories start, and The Light Princess by George MacDonald is certainly a good story. Is it a book? I have a book, illustrated by none other than Maurice Sendak of Wild Things fame, but truth be told, the story was actually a part of a longer book, Adela Cathcart. As the story beings, you would be excused for thinking it is a rehash of Sleeping Beauty. At long last, the King and Queen finally have a daughter and invite lots of people to a christening party, … [Read more...] about The Gravity of Love