“Like it or not, to reach middle age with less money or less prestige than our father had is somewhat to lose face. Stupid of course, when put like that, but who is prepared to argue that we are not stupid in several important ways?” WayImportantAgeFacesCoursesFatherLosesMiddleStupidPreparedArguingMiddle AgesOur FatherPrestigeNot Stupid Author:Robertson Davies
“Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this should also present what they believe are public reasons for their argument. So their opinion is no longer just that of one particular party, but an opinion that all members of a society might reasonably agree to, not necessarily that they would agree to. What's important is that people give the kinds of reasons that can be understood and appraised apart from their particular comprehensive doctrines.” PeopleGivingShouldBelieveKindImportantReasonMightPoliticalReligiousPartyOpinionParticularMembersUnderstoodArgumentAgreeArguingDoctrineSecularComprehensiveWhat's ImportantPolitical Arguments Author:John Rawls
“Dostoevsky's underground man ... observes his contemporaries striving to establish false goals where there are no naturally generated ones. ... He argues they should be conscious and honest enough to recognize that the goal itself is not an absolute, and probably not even important. A strong attachment to the telos indicates that the spontaneous enjoyment the child once took in road-building has waned.” MenShouldChildrenImportantEnoughStrongGoalHonestBuildingConsciousAbsolutesStriveArguingEnjoymentAttachmentSpontaneous Author:John Carroll