MLB Replay Review

Now that we've had a good half season or so of replay review in baseball, I'm curious what people think of it. Personally, I'm mostly happy with how it's been working, although there are obviously still some issues to hash out. For instance, I'm surprised at how often plays do not get overturned, despite what … Continue reading MLB Replay Review →

Reinventing Bach (Part 2)

Part Two of a lengthy book review/summary. Part One is here. A few more figures Paul Elie's Reinventing Bach introduced me to (again, interspersed with youtube videos)... (well, it wasn't really an introduction but) Glenn Gould (1932-1982): Elie convincingly reads Gould's work as that of the first great artist to come of age in the era of recordings. His … Continue reading Reinventing Bach (Part 2) →

Boyhood

Really short summary: go see this movie! Longer more thought-out review: The premise of this movie is simple: Richard Linklater filmed portions over a span of years, working with the same actors as they grew older, to create a coming-of-age narrative centering around a boy and his family. That project suggests hyper-specificity - an alternate title might have … Continue reading Boyhood →

Reinventing Bach (Part 1)

Now for something hopefully less controversial. Part 1 of a lengthy review - Part 2 is here. I've been making my way through Paul Elie's Reinventing Bach for the better part of the summer. It's 500+ pages long, which initially felt a bit much for a work of popular musical history, but it's the sort of … Continue reading Reinventing Bach (Part 1) →

Other Thoughts on Political Anger

[What follows is much more of an emotionally exploratory essay than a logically rigorous proof of something... though at times I'll probably make arguments that I allege are logical.] El Greco's painting and the story to which it alludes speaks to the attraction and potential danger of the public display of anger. On the one hand, … Continue reading Other Thoughts on Political Anger →

Libertarianism and the Blue Ridge Parkway (Part One)

In recent posts, I’ve been exploring a (loosely) Libertarian line of thought. While I don’t think standard Libertarian accounts adequately ground their positions, I do believe that there are important insights to be gleaned from the tradition. I’ve sketched out the foundation for a reformed version--which David has helpfully coined “Teleological Libertarianism.” (I should acknowledge … Continue reading Libertarianism and the Blue Ridge Parkway (Part One) →

On Political Anger

Josh and I have been discussing Pound's angry letter in response to an editor's critical comments on Joyce's manuscript of Portrait of the Artist. We've been using this letter as a proxy for our larger, ongoing debate about the uses and abuses of anger in contemporary (mostly political) discussion. But, as it stands, this way … Continue reading On Political Anger →

Ezra Pound Defends James Joyce Against an Early Critic

I'm a fan of polemical writing, whatever the subject-matter. In fact, my reading of Joyce's letters and biographies has tipped me off to a future project: reading more Ezra Pound, those excerpts which have been included having been so creatively acerbic. Pound's is a name I've heard here and there but I don't really know that … Continue reading Ezra Pound Defends James Joyce Against an Early Critic →

Magritte – The Human Condition

What is Magritte saying about "the human condition" (this piece's title)? I'm not sure. I invite you to say what you think within the comments. I especially encourage you to answer if you don't want to read the rest of the post, or if you've never commented before, or both! There is an exhibition at the … Continue reading Magritte – The Human Condition →

Unger on Philosophy

Philosophers struggle with an intellectual/academic/disciplinary version of low self-esteem. A recent victim is Peter Unger, who recently gives an interview-cum-advertisement for his latest book in philosophy, the central thesis of which is that philosophy is at best an enjoyable diversion and at worst an utter waste of time. (We're to assume, I suppose, that the … Continue reading Unger on Philosophy →