Outstanding Student Writing

Just returned from an oral defense of an excellent senior thesis by Caleb Simone.  His topic: "Nietzsche as the first tragic philosopher."  Hats off to Caleb and his advisor Dwight Allman for an outstanding job.  As one committee member said, "Even the footnotes were a true pleasure to read."

It's a privilege to be part of these things.

Emerson's Essay on Montaigne

This blog is named in honor of Emerson, whose essays I've come to enjoy a great deal.  Particularly fine is his essay on Montaigne, the inventor of the form.  Here's a quote, taken almost at random, that intrigues me: "The studious class are their own victims: they are thin and pale, their feet are cold, their heads are hot, the night is without sleep, the day a fear of interruption,—pallor, squalor, hunger, and egotism."

Is the "studious class" like this in general?  There are exceptions.  It's been some time since anyone accused me of being thin, though I may be pale.  I don't think I have cold feet or a hot head.  As for the other stuff, I should probably just plead the Fifth.

I do love knowing people who are not of the studious class.

Welcome

Welcome to this blog—as if we needed yet another blog.  I've been tempted to start a blog for a while, for reasons that might bear a passing resemblance to Montaigne's decision to write essays.

It looks like I've succumbed to temptation.