Friday, February 17, 2023
winter 2023
I haven’t made time for a worthwhile update for tomorrow. Sorry.
I’m doing difficult conceptual work which doesn’t yet have a casual online mode.
My harping about humanity in recent weeks has been to clarify a practical background (“What’s the point?”) for upcoming conceptual discussions.
Feb. 3
After a week and a half, I can now sneeze without feeling stabbed. Meanwhile, I’ve gotten lots of desk work done (sneezed rarely), though I’ve moved around like an old guy near death, afraid to breath deeply, unable to sleep on my left side, pained to reach for anything, abused by my rib cage when I walk, and so on.
So, on. I have lots of stuff to share, but nothing yet ready to post.
Jan. 21
Yesterday, I immersed myself again (after 30 years) in Howard Gardner’s Creating Minds. I’m amazed by [1] how influential for me (now implicit) his understanding of creativity has been for advancing my own concep-
tion [2] beyond his (in integral complement) thanks to other influences and my own prospecting. Actually, many of his books’ foci have been integral to the kind of practical sensibility which I generally prospect, i.e., conceptually model, relative to others’ work, my own offline, and my improvisations shared.
I had a fascinating discussion with him via several emails last month. His work complements philosophical interests more than he realizes, as educational psychologist—and intellectual historian of leading creativity, theorist of intelligence, student of leading minds, explorer of flourishing life, and autobiographer. Altogether, he exemplifies the polymathic, protean venturer that I abstractly idealize, though I made no mention of my own online excursions.
These days, I’m engaged in a long path of reading—books and essays long intended for first reading, some past ones to be read again—for testing my progress of the past few years. I can’t believe that there aren’t other views which I should appreciate, such that my own will be significantly improved or corrected.
But most reading so far (last autumn through now) has been disappointing. So, I don’t mention that. Gardner is a great exception.
I want my more-formal venture (upcoming this year?) to be relative to a specific group of voices which exemplify (and further understanding of) the polymath, protean sensibility I’m prospecting.
Jan. 15
A new venturing, more in my own terms, begins (Jan 12) with a sense of progressive holism implicit.
Jan. 11
My map is clear to me, after some years of somewhat improvising, like hiking difficult hills to prepare for a high climb together.
Anyway, during my daily walk around campus—which is commonly an occasion for new ideas—I thought, trivially (but funny for California): Who would have thought, a month ago, that we’d be glad for a few hours without rain?
Jan. 7
My love of conceptual play has been doing well.
