2,296 words
John Langham Austin was an English philosopher of language, an Oxford Don, and (like Alan Turing) a Military Intelligence Officer, who worked on the D-Day landings. Born in 1911, Austin died relatively young, at the age of 48, and his three books were all published posthumously. (more…)
J. L. Austin
J. L. Austin
1,764 words
To get a better sense of what the Left is all about with the relentless labeling of any and all opposition as “racist,” “fascist,” “proponents of hatred,” etc., and to try to understand how language in the service of ideology has become so corrupted, it might be helpful to consider the notion of “performative utterances” (hereafter, performatives) as developed by J. L. Austin, a British language philosopher from the last century. (more…)
Front left detail of the Franks Casket, featuring Weyland the Smith and Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic writing
Front left detail of the Franks Casket, featuring Weyland the Smith and Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic writing
2,197 words
If you want a mouthful of history, just say “mouthful of history.” It’s a hybrid phrase, Germanic and Greek, combining two great European traditions that met and mingled on the island of Britain. But there’s a local flavor to it too: the second consonant of “mouthful” is distinctively English. That’s why we once had a good way to write that second consonant: in Old English, “mouth” was muð, pronounced “mooth.” (more…)
Gorgias
Gorgias
1,889 words
Nothing exists; Even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and. Even if something can be known about it, knowledge about it can’t be communicated to others. Even if it can be communicated, it cannot be understood.
— Gorgias of Leontinoi, circa 427 BC (more…)
1,803 words
Glenn Gibson
Before the Mic: How to Compose Meaningful, Memorable, and Motivational Presentations
Austin, TX: River Grove Books, 2021
If you want to change the world, you must first master the basics. One of the basics is public speaking. (more…)
1,522 words
L. David Marquet
Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders
New York: Penguin, 2012
When one is 150 feet away from the control room, it’s easy to adopt a highly hierarchical management structure. (more…)