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“The straight-trunked tree is the first to be felled; the well of sweet water is the first to run…”
“The straight-trunked tree is the first to be felled; the well of sweet water is the first to run dry....
“Great geniuses have the shortest biographies.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson,…
philosophybits: “Great geniuses have the shortest biographies.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Representative Men
Why did American literature departments prove so hospitable, or susceptible, to French theory?
Why did American literature departments prove so hospitable, or susceptible, to French theory?
In 17th-century England, a flood could be blamed on a “Papistical Conspiracy of Traitors” — but general sinfulness could not be dismissed from playing a role
In 17th-century England, a flood could be blamed on a “Papistical Conspiracy of Traitors” — but general sinfulness could not...
Simon Winchester, a charming rogue who traded geology for journalism and became a prolific and peripatetic polymath, has died. He was 82
Simon Winchester, a charming rogue who traded geology for journalism and became a prolific and peripatetic polymath, has died. He...
“Undertake the easy as though it were difficult, and the difficult as though it were easy, so as not…”
“Undertake the easy as though it were difficult, and the difficult as though it were easy, so as not to...
Herbert Spencer
[Revised entry by David Weinstein on November 5, 2026. Changes to: Main text, Bibliography, notes.html] Herbert Spencer (1820 – 1903)...
Bioethics and Moral Reasoning
[New Entry by Jennifer Flynn on November 5, 2026.] [Editor’s Note: The following entry replaces and is based on the...