Which can be read as a call to a radical new political philosophy or as a bunch of aphorisms:
Knowledge matters and some knowledge is more important than other knowledge.
Mullets, goatees, scruffiness, and other hirsute affectations are pronouncements of self-importance and should be avoided
It is wiser, healthier, and happier to believe in something far more powerful and far better than oneself.
We are all flawed and suffering and deserve compassion; and we are all obliged to live up to the highest moral principles and deserve the consequences when we do not
All institutions --- political, religious, and academic --- exist for the betterment of people, not to achieve, maintain, and increase their own power.
Having a rich mental library which allows one to make and to understand a variety of appropriate cultural allusions is much better than not having one
Precise vocabulary, correct grammar, syntactical clarity, and logical thinking are personal and social goods, not arbitrary impositions
Freedom is neither license nor conformity; it is a burden and must be chosen
Much in the natural world is beautiful and can be inspiring; but much is cold, implacable, uncaring, and violently hierarchical, which we should not emulate
Marriage is a social contract, not an individual choice, with obligations to the community, especially to one's children, that take precedence over personal preference
We owe kindness, generosity, and patience to one another; and we have the right to defend ourselves against physical, psychological, and emotional abuse
Not all that is wrong is illegal
It is possible and preferable to have a principled aesthetic; Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms are superior to Chuck Berry and the Beatles, and the reasons can be known and articulated; we are not limited to liking and not liking
The deepest wisdom about the human condition is expressed within the great traditions from around the world and we ignore them at our peril
Trustworthiness is a far more effective social bond than the law
Technology is always and everywhere a means, not an end; a neutral; a tool the uses of which must be chosen
Judgments of other should be based on competence and character, neither of which is predetermined by race, ethnicity, or cultural background
Loyalty to the right thing is a virtue; courage in the service of the right thing is a virtue
Any speech or action which is meant to call attention to oneself or to claim superiority to others should be avoided
Knowledge matters and some knowledge is more important than other knowledge.
Mullets, goatees, scruffiness, and other hirsute affectations are pronouncements of self-importance and should be avoided
It is wiser, healthier, and happier to believe in something far more powerful and far better than oneself.
We are all flawed and suffering and deserve compassion; and we are all obliged to live up to the highest moral principles and deserve the consequences when we do not
All institutions --- political, religious, and academic --- exist for the betterment of people, not to achieve, maintain, and increase their own power.
Having a rich mental library which allows one to make and to understand a variety of appropriate cultural allusions is much better than not having one
Precise vocabulary, correct grammar, syntactical clarity, and logical thinking are personal and social goods, not arbitrary impositions
Freedom is neither license nor conformity; it is a burden and must be chosen
Much in the natural world is beautiful and can be inspiring; but much is cold, implacable, uncaring, and violently hierarchical, which we should not emulate
Marriage is a social contract, not an individual choice, with obligations to the community, especially to one's children, that take precedence over personal preference
We owe kindness, generosity, and patience to one another; and we have the right to defend ourselves against physical, psychological, and emotional abuse
Not all that is wrong is illegal
It is possible and preferable to have a principled aesthetic; Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms are superior to Chuck Berry and the Beatles, and the reasons can be known and articulated; we are not limited to liking and not liking
The deepest wisdom about the human condition is expressed within the great traditions from around the world and we ignore them at our peril
Trustworthiness is a far more effective social bond than the law
Technology is always and everywhere a means, not an end; a neutral; a tool the uses of which must be chosen
Judgments of other should be based on competence and character, neither of which is predetermined by race, ethnicity, or cultural background
Loyalty to the right thing is a virtue; courage in the service of the right thing is a virtue
Any speech or action which is meant to call attention to oneself or to claim superiority to others should be avoided
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