Meg Wallace

Circus and Philosophy

How is juggling like being a good person? What can the trapeze teach us about consciousness? What does circus have to do with the self?… Continue reading Circus and Philosophy

FeaturedPUBLISHED ON August 31, 2018December 12, 2019in Uncategorized

What is Circus? What is Philosophy?

Circus – Origins If you have never been to a circus, you nonetheless probably have an idea of what a circus is: huge canvas tents,… Continue reading What is Circus? What is Philosophy?

PUBLISHED ON December 16, 2019December 16, 2019in Introduction, Socrates Plato Aristotle
Introduction, Origins, Socrates, Socratic Wisdom

Thinking and Circusing: What Are They Good For?

What’s the Point? Our exploration of Circus and Philosophy will primarily concentrate on the many similarities and interconnections between the two. Yet I’d like to… Continue reading Thinking and Circusing: What Are They Good For?

PUBLISHED ON December 16, 2019December 16, 2019in Moral Virtue & Value Theory, Socrates Plato Aristotle
Aristotle, Circus, Extrinsic Values, Intrinsic Values

Juggling and Aristotle

Juggling Watching a juggler manipulate objects is mesmerizing and delightful. She lobs them through the air with an impressive amount of control, consistency, rhythm, anticipation,… Continue reading Juggling and Aristotle

PUBLISHED ON December 16, 2019December 16, 2019in Juggling, Moral Virtue & Value Theory, Socrates Plato Aristotle
Aristotle, Being a Good Person, Habits, Juggling, Moral Virtue

Death, Danger, and the Paradox of Fiction

Bread and Circuses Human beings have a long, strange history of being fascinated with death and danger. Somewhat oddly, we are fascinated by the death… Continue reading Death, Danger, and the Paradox of Fiction

PUBLISHED ON December 16, 2019December 16, 2019in Aerial Arts, Fiction, Paradox
Aerial Arts, Death Defying, Hume, Paradox of Fiction, Tightrope, Trapeze

The Circus of Time

Point to the Circus Act Imagine that you have befriended an alien from outer space who knows very little about human culture. In an effort… Continue reading The Circus of Time

PUBLISHED ON October 30, 2018October 30, 2018in Metaphysics, Time

Identity Over Time – Persons and Circuses

Circus Identity, Personal Identity Throughout the semester, we have thought about circus history: how it began, how it has grown and developed, how it is… Continue reading Identity Over Time – Persons and Circuses

PUBLISHED ON October 30, 2018October 30, 2018in Identity, Metaphysics
Circus Arts, Circus Identity, Identity, Indiscernibility of Identicals, Personal Identity

The Performing Arts: Truth and Humanness

Performing the Arts One overarching theme of this course is to demonstrate the immense value that the performing arts offers from the point of view… Continue reading The Performing Arts: Truth and Humanness

PUBLISHED ON October 22, 2018January 2, 2019in Aesthetics, Fiction, Illusion, Metaphysics, Socrates Plato Aristotle, Truth

The Circus as Transformative Experience

Running Away to Join the Circus “Running away to join the circus” has long been a metaphor for escaping the tedium of an uninspired life.… Continue reading The Circus as Transformative Experience

PUBLISHED ON October 22, 2018October 23, 2018in Rationality & Rational Choice, Trapeze
Flying Trapeze, Rational Choice, Running Away to Join the Circus, Transformative Experience

Flying, Falling and the Free Will Paradox

The Trapeze: Flying or Falling? Nearly everyone, at some point or another, has tried something new. Maybe you tried a new intellectual experience: read a… Continue reading Flying, Falling and the Free Will Paradox

PUBLISHED ON December 31, 2017December 13, 2018in Uncategorized