A Place for Growth, Humility and Awe.
Christian Gennari
There are moments when you encounter a text, where it feels less like reading and more like being recognized. Recently, I have been reading The Crisis of Narration by Byung-Chul Han. And there has been one particular chapter which I seem to return to again and again. It is called “Bare Life.” In it, Han … Read more
Do we really believe in objective morality — or are we just misreading our emotions? David Enoch argues that our moral discourse reveals a hidden commitment to moral objectivism. In this post, I challenge that view, suggesting instead that our moral convictions may stem from cultural habits and emotional responses — not from a belief in objective moral truths.
Quine’s famous Pegasus problem illustrates a central philosophical challenge: How can we meaningfully talk about something that does not exist, such as the mythical horse Pegasus, without ontologically committing ourselves to its existence?
A brief reflection on John Stuart Mill’s harm principle and its limits. Can a society built only on preventing harm to others still allow troubling acts, like consensual duels? This text explores where the principle becomes unclear.
One of the most fundamental questions in philosophy is whether we have free will. Do we really have the ability to choose freely, or are we prisoners in a world governed by deterministic laws of nature? To reason about this, we need to examine how we currently try to understand the world – and why the mechanical perspective that dominates science is not comprehensive.
In section IV of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, David Hume tackles the issues of inductive reasoning and causality. He scrutinizes the basis of our knowledge about the world, questioning whether our inferences about cause and effect are truly grounded in reason. Through this examination, Hume argues that our conclusions are not the result of logical necessity but rather stem from patterns of experience.
In section II & III of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding Hume introduces the key concepts that make up his Theory of Ideas. This, in its essence, is a deeper dive into the capabilities and limits of the mind.
In this commentary of Section I of An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, I explore Hume’s arguments for the necessity of metaphysical inquiry, the importance of grounding philosophy in the study of the mind, and the ideal character of a philosopher who balances intellectual and practical life. Hume’s insights offer a compelling perspective on the nature and purpose of philosophical inquiry.
In the face of climate change, we must fundamentally rethink our relationship with nature. This essay explores key perspectives in environmental ethics, ranging from disenchantment and legal personhood for nature, to deep ecology and Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. Drawing on philosophy, law, and human psychology, it argues for a pluralistic approach: one that both integrates nature into our legal systems and fosters a deeper spiritual and ethical connection to the natural world. Only by recognizing nature not merely as a resource, but as a community to which we belong, can we begin to act with the reverence and responsibility our time demands.
What does it truly mean to be wise? This essay explores the nature of wisdom as a pragmatic and dynamic form of truth—one that goes beyond objective facts to shape how we interpret and navigate human experience. Drawing on insights from cognitive science, especially the work of Vervaeke and Ferraro, it examines wisdom as a process of adaptive self-organization, grounded in reflection, construal, and procedural knowledge. Far from being a static state, wisdom emerges through openness, instability, and the continual reshaping of perception. At its heart lies a simple yet profound insight: wisdom is not about having answers, but about knowing how to ask—and live—the right questions.