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Learning True Names

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In February 2026, I did my best to learn the True Names of all manner of things. With this admittedly strange phrase, I am referring to an exercise inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea. In this story, a master wizard shows the main character a humble little plant and says: “ When you know the fourfoil in all its seasons root and leaf and flower, by sight and scent and seed, then you may learn its true name ”. This is how it’s done: you begin by learning the (conventional) name of something, before perfecting your attunement to it through careful observation across different contexts. Birds, insects, plants, and even the local electrical grid: I did my utmost to come to know what I was looking at . Two illustrations from Erbario,  a 15th-century Herbal from Northern Italy I feel as though my life has undergone a sharp and deep transformation. On paper, much is the same, I still go on those long daily walks that one might call mental health walks . But the expe...
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Bird-watching as a philosophical exercise: learning to love the common and the rare

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For a while now, but especially in January 2026, I have been indulging in the pleasures of bird-watching. It is simply amazing. It’s been a constant and easily accessible source of awe & wonder. Many people have described the philosophical and spiritual relevance of this activity, and I would like to add my voice to this chorus. In my opinion, bird-watching is an exercise in the dynamic nature of wonder. Bare-eyed pigeon from Pauline Knip’s Les Pigeons (1811) Quite a few people have attempted to nail down what is distinctly philosophical about the hobby of bird-watching. Someone pointed out that, like philosophy, it “is an exercise in seeing sameness and difference” . Someone else remarked that bird-watching is a sort of communion with an alien reality, a strange mind & elemental force , and thus it is philosophical, but different from the usual kind of philosophical speculation. Other pertinent remarks include the idea that “the inaccessibility of birds is the he...
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The Epistemic Virtues of Tarot: Self-Discovery, Self-Transcendence, Adventure, & Playfulness

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In November 2025, I practiced tarot card reading. It goes like this: after formulating a question, you draw tarot cards randomly and read into them the answers to your query. I took to it very easily, and had a tremendous amount of fun going through the playful process of interpretation. What, at first glance, looks like an irrational tool of prognostication, actually exhibits the key features of a philosophical exercise. This gives me a completely different outlook on divination practices. I used the "Magickal Cats" Tarot Deck by Helene Lespagnard and Microcosm Publishing.   I love these fun illustrations. They served as a reminder that things don’t have to be so solemn. Tarot is playful.      Discovering tarot card reading was extremely simple and fun. Before starting, the most intimidating thing about it for me was the grand total of 78 cards, each of them presenting a strange and intricate illustration. But you only interact with a few cards at a...
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The Sermon on the Mount, learning by heart and trusting the future

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In October 2025, I tried to commit philosophy handbooks to memory. Not academic handbooks, but collections of wise sayings produced by ancient philosophical schools so that students may memorize them. My curiosity got captured by the Sermon on the Mount (sayings spoken by Jesus, found in the Gospel of Matthew) because the scholar George B. Branch-Trevathan claimed that it counted as one of those philosophical handy books. I agree! Attempting to learn it by heart was an exercise in understanding faith and justice.           Claude Lorrain (1600 - 1682) The Sermon on the Mount (Of all paintings of the Sermon on the Mount , I picked this one because I find that it makes the scenery and sky both relatable and awe-inducing. It usually isn’t very relatable.) Keeping philosophy at hand In the conclusion of my last post , I stressed the importance of “putting pen to paper” when you read a philosophical text that seeks to improve your life. The pen in...
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