Archive for the ‘New York City’ Category
The Problem with New York
“That’s the problem with being born in New York…You’ve got no New York to run away to.”
A line from the novel, Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles. (Reviewed by Liesl Schillinger in today’s New York Times Book Review.)
Thank Hegel for the Brooklyn Bridge
Here is a piece of trivia worth knowing, at least for philosophers, engineers, and bridge lovers. John Augustus Roebling (born Johann August Röbling), the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, was something of a polymath. Before emigrating to the U.S. from Germany, in addition to engineering, he studied philosophy with G. W. F. Hegel, the notoriously difficult and challenging early 19th century German Idealist philosopher. According to a PBS documentary on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, it was Hegel who told the young Roebling that he should go to America. And so he did.
Next time that you have an opportunity to drive or walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, don’t forget to thank the author of the Phenomenology of Spirit, the man who gave you, “what is actual is rational and what is rational is actual” (The Philosophy of Right). He knew enough to send Roebling to our shores.
It’s Here, It’s Now: “Mitchell Aboulafia” is changing to “UP@NIGHT”
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Since this Blog began a few months ago it has been called, “Mitchell Aboulafia,” which happens to be the name of the author of the postings. But as the Blog grew in circulation, it needed something a bit snappier (than me) for a title. Hence, “UP@NIGHT.” (The author is a bit of a night owl, but he also wants you to know that he is working away at all hours of the day and night to produce UP@NIGHT.)
I have had some very nice feedback on the site and I hope that readers continue to enjoy it. I know that I have enjoyed participating in “the collective experiment” of internet writing and communication. (And it certainly allows me to be more playful than my academic work.)
UPDATE: August 21, 2008: On August 20th I added a little feature to the site, a cluster map. If you click on the map, you can see the locations of the visitors to this Blog. I have noticed that on the first day of its use it is not registering all of the visits, but I have been informed that there is often a delay (and there can be more than one visit from one location, since a location is an IP address).
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Written by Mitchell Aboulafia
August 16, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Posted in Blogosphere, Culutre, Current Events, Election, Iraq War, McCain, Mitchell Aboulafia, New York City, News, Obama, Philosophy, political commentary, politics, popular culture, Presidential Election, Society, Uncategorized, Up Late
Tagged with Aboulafia, Culture, Current Events, Election, McCain, Mitchell Aboulafia, News, Obama, Philosophy, political commentary, politics, popular culture, Presidential Election, Society, Up Late, UPLate