Personalism – Peter Saint-Andre, Philosopher-Coach

Battle of the Bricks

Last year I decided to read War and Peace for the first time. Although Tolstoy’s powers of psychological observation are amazing, I got stuck about halfway through (during a lengthy description of a fox hunt), and since then I haven’t really been able to get back into it. It didn’t help that none of the characters appealedContinue reading “Battle of the Bricks”

Being an Integrity

Yesterday while reading an old book on East Asian folk crafts (The Unknown Crafstman by Sōetsu Yanagi, p. 153), I came across the following passage: When I am asked for a Buddhist explanation of the perception of beauty, my answer is a simple one: “One must discard one’s self”. But of course the process is notContinue reading “Being an Integrity”

The Self as an Achievement

What is the self? Naturally this question invokes vast reflections spanning philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, sociology, biology, and many other fields. Although I claim no special insight, in my Aristotle readings over the last few years I chanced upon a fascinating perspective that I thought I’d share. In her book Aristotle’s Philosophy of Friendship (SUNY Press, 1995),Continue reading “The Self as an Achievement”

MLK and Personalism

In my recent post on idealism and identity, I mentioned my attraction to the philosophy of personalism, with its emphasis on human dignity. It is perhaps a little-known fact that Martin Luther King, Jr., was greatly influenced by that very philosophy. Early in life he ventured north to study at Boston University, then the centerContinue reading “MLK and Personalism”

Idealism and Identity

Personal identity is a deep, and deeply meaningful, subject: at some level, what’s more important than what makes you you? Paradoxically, throughout history and across cultures, often personal identity has been a social construct, tied closely to tribe, clan, family, ethnic group, race, caste, class, societal role, and so on – usually in opposition to some Other (“I’m aContinue reading “Idealism and Identity”