‘How Emerson Reshaped America’

     
The School of Practical Philosophy has another discussion on the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson planned for early next year. The details are below, but first please know the School continues its amazingly generous offer of the $10 registration fee to enroll in its first semester of classes. That’s ten weeks of introductory schooling for ten bucks. Click here to get started.

Emerson’s Legacy:

How He Reshaped America

A Talk by David Beardsley

Saturday, February 4, 2017

12 East 79th Street, Manhattan

7 to 9:30 p.m.

Central to the philosophy of Emerson was his “one doctrine: the infinitude of the private man.” He understood the divinity of each human being and urged people to look at the details of their lives and celebrate them, not trying to be something they are not.

In this talk we will look at three examples of people in the next generation who took this challenge: Charles Ives, a composer still regarded as ahead of his time. Emily Dickinson, the reclusive poet sitting alone in her room, who created a whole world from her own imagination, and Swami Paramananda, an Indian guru who took Emerson’s writing as a starting point for a deeper understanding of the Indian scriptures.

The hope is that the example of these three will inspire each of us to look for the fingerprints of that “infinitude” in our own lives.

Fee is $25, which includes refreshments. Register here for this event.

David A. Beardsley has been attending classes in Practical Philosophy since 1994, and is drawn to its recognition of wisdom from the East and the West. He tutors Introduction to Philosophy at the New York School, where he hopes to communicate his own “love of wisdom.” David has written three books on the Western wisdom tradition, and maintains the website idealinthewest.com. He also wrote and directed the video biography Emerson: The Ideal in America.
     

‘Stories That Can Change Your Life’

     
I’m drafting a Magpie post that will praise the School of Practical Philosophy, and explain why you should enroll, but in the meantime an unsolicited, unremunerated, etc. advertisement of upcoming events we learned about in class last night.

Next month, a three-night series titled “Stories That Can Change Your Life” is scheduled. Each night is to be unique in content, and requires separate registration. (This is the New York City school on East 79th Street.) From the publicity:

Stories That Can Change Your Life

Can a story change your life?

An ancient legend teaches that if you enter a spice shop and do not even buy anything, you will leave smelling a little differently than when you walked in. So it is with stories, with their capacity to enrich and enlarge our lives and remind us of truths we may have forgotten.

Come listen to “Stories That Can Change Your Life” three Mondays in July. Invite family and friends for evenings of good company, engaging conversation and light refreshments.

Click on these links for tickets: Mondays, July 7, 14, and 21
at 7 p.m. $10 each evening.


Also, Mr. David Beardsley will return to the school on Wednesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. to present his lecture “Homer’s Odyssey as Spiritual Quest,” described thusly:

Along with the Iliad, Homer’s Odyssey is the wellspring of Western literature. It offers a glimpse into the lives of humans and gods in ancient Greece and a rousing adventure story with evil monsters, beautiful goddesses and narrow escapes. But it’s also an allegory of a soul journeying from multiplicity and strife back to unity and love. Overcoming trials and temptations, including a visit to Hades, Odysseus casts off his warlike persona and learns to restrain his senses and desires. In this presentation we will trace his return from darkness to light, his reunion with his family, and his reclaiming “my very self,” the rightful ruler of “my native land.”

$15 per person. Click here for tickets.


I attended Mr. Beardsley’s lecture last month, and can tell you it is very worthwhile, and that tickets sell out.
     

‘The Odyssey as Spiritual Quest’

     
The School of Practical Philosophy in New York City will host David A. Beardsley next month for a lecture on one of the cornerstones of Western literature that also just happens to be an allegory of a journey of a soul. From the publicity:

Along with the Iliad, Homer’s Odyssey is the wellspring of Western literature. It offers a glimpse into the lives of humans and gods in ancient Greece, and a rousing adventure story with evil monsters, beautiful goddesses, and narrow escapes. But it’s also an allegory of a soul journeying from multiplicity and strife back to unity and love. Overcoming trials and temptations, including a visit to Hades, Odysseus casts off his warlike persona and learns to restrain his senses and desires. In this presentation we will trace his return from darkness to light, his reunion with his family, and his reclaiming “my very self,” the rightful ruler of “my native land.”

Join us to explore this eternal masterpiece. Light refreshments will be served.

School of Practical Philosophy

12 East 79th Street

Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m.

$20 per person

Please Note: Special Events tend to sell out quickly. It is suggested that you register well in advance to secure a seat. Lecture and event registrations are non-refundable and not transferable to other events/lectures.


That’s no mere boast about tickets selling out quickly. Last night there were 66 seats up for grabs; a minute ago there were 50; and right now there are 49 because I bought mine. Click here.