Essays
Philosophy
Essays on philosophy, literature, art and life.
2026
Illusions and IllusionsThe Diamond Sutra cuts through illusion twice: once through the forms a mind takes to be solid, beginning with itself, and once more through the illusion of having seen through them.
The Ontology of LoveWhat is this thing, love, that it binds two creatures to each other in life and in death? More fundamentally, what is being-in-love, and how is it related to being-in-the-world?
The Philosophy of BoxingWhy would anyone choose to be hit in the head? Freud's death drive, Musashi's sword after the wars, and what boxing taught me about discipline, fear and flow.
The Ontology of LoveWhat is this thing, love, that it binds two creatures to each other in life and in death? More fundamentally, what is being-in-love, and how is it related to being-in-the-world?
The Philosophy of BoxingWhy would anyone choose to be hit in the head? Freud's death drive, Musashi's sword after the wars, and what boxing taught me about discipline, fear and flow.
2024
Reflection on my First Boxing Bout - A Warrior's JourneyWhat I learned from losing my first boxing match: sacrifice, the question of why, a sunrise on a trail, and fighting as a spiritual practice.
Jim Simons, A TributeA tribute to Jim Simons, mathematician, codebreaker, investor and patron of science, and an inspiration of mine: on beauty, usefulness and what wealth can do for curiosity.
Coffee Shop ReflectionsWhy I work best among strangers in a coffee shop, and whether the Paris café of Hemingway and the existentialists is a tradition or a fantasy sold by the cup.
Jim Simons, A TributeA tribute to Jim Simons, mathematician, codebreaker, investor and patron of science, and an inspiration of mine: on beauty, usefulness and what wealth can do for curiosity.
Coffee Shop ReflectionsWhy I work best among strangers in a coffee shop, and whether the Paris café of Hemingway and the existentialists is a tradition or a fantasy sold by the cup.