We Must Imitate Zelenksy, Not Just Admire Him
I am sitting in my cozy library in Northfield Minnesota, about to comment on the war in Ukraine from an existentialist perspective. The...
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Gordon Marino
- Jan 12
- 1 min
Why Kierkegaard believed it’s lazy to admire our moral heroes
Søren Kierkegaard, the lyrical Danish philosopher, was keenly observant of the ways in which people ordered their lives. Like an...
Gordon Marino
- Jan 4
- 1 min
Is balance really the key to a good life?
My philosophy classes usually begin with a sermonette to the effect that philosophy is about loving and acquiring wisdom in contrast to...
Gordon Marino
- Dec 16, 2020
- 1 min
Kierkegaard’s moral phenomenology: When ethical consistency becomes ethical evasion
Even though ethics is included as one of the fundamental life perspectives in his famous three-stage theory of human development —...
Gordon Marino
- May 27, 2020
- 1 min
“If this isn’t nice, what is?” Fragments of Kurt Vonnegut’s philosophy of life
It is hard to imagine what his level of consternation would be at Facebook friends and virtual communities.
Gordon Marino
- Dec 17, 2019
- 1 min
Are You Listening?
Ernest Hemingway put it bluntly: “Most people never listen.” Given that meaningful relationships are crucial to human thriving, it is...
Gordon Marino
- Jul 7, 2019
- 1 min
Gordon Marino
- Jan 24, 2019
- 1 min
On the Perils of Procrastination
Gordon Marino can’t wait to tell you about moral self-deception.
Gordon Marino
- May 16, 2018
- 1 min
LARB: The Existentialist’s Survival Guide
"Hardly Navel-Gazing"
Gordon Marino
- May 10, 2018
- 1 min
‘The Existentialist’s Survival Guide’ Review: Choose Your Own Adventure
From the WSJ: When it comes to living, there’s no getting out alive. But books can help us survive, so to speak, by passing on what is...
Gordon Marino
- May 7, 2018
- 1 min
What Role Does Envy Play in Your Life?
Now think of a time when you were the envy of others. How did that feel?
Gordon Marino
- Nov 12, 2016
- 1 min
What’s the Use of Regret?
The otherwise jolly veteran-turned-accountant went on to suggest that he had done worse things “over there.”
Gordon Marino
- Mar 30, 2016
- 1 min
Faith Sees Best in the Dark: Joe Biden, Søren Kierkegaard, and the education of suffering
Vice President Joe Biden has frequently acknowledged that only his faith has enabled him to endure the untimely death of his son, Beau....
Gordon Marino
- Jun 2, 2015
- 1 min
The Long Conversation
Today, discussions about the treatment of mental health problems usually focus on medications and short-term therapies. It is almost as...
Gordon Marino
- May 17, 2014
- 1 min
A Life Beyond ‘Do What You Love’
Student advisees often come to my office, rubbing their hands together, furrowing their brows and asking me to walk along with them as...
Gordon Marino
- May 3, 2013
- 1 min
Kierkegaard at 200
THE intellectual immortal Soren Kierkegaard turns 200 on Sunday. The lyrical Danish philosopher is widely regarded as the father of...
Gordon Marino
- Mar 17, 2012
- 1 min
The Danish Doctor of Dread
he way we negotiate anxiety plays no small part in shaping our lives and character. And yet, historically speaking, the lovers of...
Gordon Marino
- Sep 15, 2010
- 1 min
Boxing Lessons
I offer training in both philosophy and boxing. Over the years, some of my colleagues have groused that my work is a contradiction,...
Gordon Marino
- Mar 29, 2010
- 1 min
Counting the ‘Blessings’ of Insomnia
Drip, drip, drip — that’s what insomniac thoughts feel like, a leaky faucet behind the eyes. Last night the ideas were plinking;...
Gordon Marino
- Oct 28, 2009
- 1 min
Kierkegaard on the Couch
All progress paves over some bit of knowledge or washes away some valuable practice. Within a few years, e-mail and Twitter moved the art...