Brice Cummings
@abcummings.bsky.social
Peripatetic (adjunct) instructor of philosophy and history
renaissanceanimal.com
renaissanceanimal.com
"La justice est l'acte de rendre à chacun sa part de dignité."
"Justice is the act of rendering unto each their portion of dignity."
- Gabriel Marcel, unpublished manuscript (1944)
"Justice is the act of rendering unto each their portion of dignity."
- Gabriel Marcel, unpublished manuscript (1944)
February 10, 2026 at 7:41 PM
"La justice est l'acte de rendre à chacun sa part de dignité."
"Justice is the act of rendering unto each their portion of dignity."
- Gabriel Marcel, unpublished manuscript (1944)
"Justice is the act of rendering unto each their portion of dignity."
- Gabriel Marcel, unpublished manuscript (1944)
Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve
February 7, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve
“Language leads us to a thought which is no longer ours alone, to a thought which is presumptively universal, though this is never the universality of a pure concept which would be identical for every mind."
Merleau-Ponty, c. 1952, continued... (1/3)
Merleau-Ponty, c. 1952, continued... (1/3)
February 5, 2026 at 1:51 PM
“Language leads us to a thought which is no longer ours alone, to a thought which is presumptively universal, though this is never the universality of a pure concept which would be identical for every mind."
Merleau-Ponty, c. 1952, continued... (1/3)
Merleau-Ponty, c. 1952, continued... (1/3)
Merleau-Ponty, in "A Note on Machiavelli" (Tr. Richard McCleary), expounds on the famous dictum that "the Prince must make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, he is at least not hated":
"There is no power which has an absolute basis.
.... (1/5)
"There is no power which has an absolute basis.
.... (1/5)
January 31, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Merleau-Ponty, in "A Note on Machiavelli" (Tr. Richard McCleary), expounds on the famous dictum that "the Prince must make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, he is at least not hated":
"There is no power which has an absolute basis.
.... (1/5)
"There is no power which has an absolute basis.
.... (1/5)
Minerva's owl is ice-bound
January 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Minerva's owl is ice-bound
True as far as it goes, but the mystical screeching side of philosophy has empirical results to show for itself, too: centuries' worth of artworks, literary traditions, and reasons to get out of bed in the morning
It’s not true that philosophy has no empirical results to show for itself. The results are the empirical sciences philosophy birthed. Next level stuff.
NB They were birthed from the exactness & clarity-seeking bits of philosophy, not from the mystical screeching side of things.
NB They were birthed from the exactness & clarity-seeking bits of philosophy, not from the mystical screeching side of things.
January 30, 2026 at 1:34 PM
True as far as it goes, but the mystical screeching side of philosophy has empirical results to show for itself, too: centuries' worth of artworks, literary traditions, and reasons to get out of bed in the morning
A Minneapolis Manifesto
![Star Trek Voyager Captain Janeway: I'm really easy to get along with, most of the time. But I don't like bullies, I don't like threats, and I don't like you, [particularly unpleasant strongman type]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:547e7uv4waxppxexcz5rr7f5/bafkreie3wylvfbxdbhhgzalvh6udolniqf2dn3wbrtmaoltct3x5wzrzru@jpeg)
January 27, 2026 at 2:36 AM
A Minneapolis Manifesto
The white stuff is mostly packed ice crystals (doesn't even show foot / paw prints) and you can see a gray squirrel outlined on this backdrop for a country mile, so if anyone is planning to walk their large dog in North Texas this morning, I'd recommend shoes with a good grip
January 25, 2026 at 3:50 PM
The white stuff is mostly packed ice crystals (doesn't even show foot / paw prints) and you can see a gray squirrel outlined on this backdrop for a country mile, so if anyone is planning to walk their large dog in North Texas this morning, I'd recommend shoes with a good grip
What will end first: the ambient ice storm or my reading of Peter Wilson's chunky history of the Holy Roman Empire?
January 24, 2026 at 7:01 PM
What will end first: the ambient ice storm or my reading of Peter Wilson's chunky history of the Holy Roman Empire?
The what?
(offender: The Extinction of Experience, by Christine Rosen -- not, apparently, an acolyte of the Qoheleth)
(offender: The Extinction of Experience, by Christine Rosen -- not, apparently, an acolyte of the Qoheleth)
January 22, 2026 at 1:24 PM
The what?
(offender: The Extinction of Experience, by Christine Rosen -- not, apparently, an acolyte of the Qoheleth)
(offender: The Extinction of Experience, by Christine Rosen -- not, apparently, an acolyte of the Qoheleth)
Reposted by Brice Cummings
I wrote about what is happening during America's 250th year with the help of a book published during its 75th.
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
Starbuck’s Problem: The Great American Novel and Greenland
For decades, late-night, coffee- or alcohol-fueled arguments over classic literature have routinely featured a debate over whether there is such a book as the Great American Novel—and if so, which …
renaissanceanimal.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:29 PM
I wrote about what is happening during America's 250th year with the help of a book published during its 75th.
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
I wrote about what is happening during America's 250th year with the help of a book published during its 75th.
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
Starbuck’s Problem: The Great American Novel and Greenland
For decades, late-night, coffee- or alcohol-fueled arguments over classic literature have routinely featured a debate over whether there is such a book as the Great American Novel—and if so, which …
renaissanceanimal.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:29 PM
I wrote about what is happening during America's 250th year with the help of a book published during its 75th.
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
renaissanceanimal.com/2026/01/20/s...
I'm going to have to study Nahuatl, aren't I
January 19, 2026 at 5:54 PM
I'm going to have to study Nahuatl, aren't I
Hadn't looked at the news for 72 hours because I was in the final sprint to finish a paper that we hope to present at a conference in - of all places - Copenhagen, Denmark, so now that I have made the mistake of informing myself on world events.... What does one even say?
January 18, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Hadn't looked at the news for 72 hours because I was in the final sprint to finish a paper that we hope to present at a conference in - of all places - Copenhagen, Denmark, so now that I have made the mistake of informing myself on world events.... What does one even say?
Prompting AI to write about a particular thing will never replace me prompting my brain to write about a particular thing and then my brain writing about something completely and utterly different
January 15, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Prompting AI to write about a particular thing will never replace me prompting my brain to write about a particular thing and then my brain writing about something completely and utterly different
For comparison, here's Czechoslovakian President Emil Hácha arriving in Berlin, March 1939
January 14, 2026 at 6:01 PM
For comparison, here's Czechoslovakian President Emil Hácha arriving in Berlin, March 1939
"Each act of philosophical or literary expression contributes to fulfilling the vow to retrieve the world that was taken away with the first appearance of a language,
(1/2)
(1/2)
January 14, 2026 at 1:44 PM
"Each act of philosophical or literary expression contributes to fulfilling the vow to retrieve the world that was taken away with the first appearance of a language,
(1/2)
(1/2)
The newest issue of History and Theory, calling for "philology now," brings to mind James Turner's excellent book on the philological ladder that the humanities once climbed up and, in some cases, then cast away.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
January 13, 2026 at 3:31 PM
The newest issue of History and Theory, calling for "philology now," brings to mind James Turner's excellent book on the philological ladder that the humanities once climbed up and, in some cases, then cast away.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14682303...
porchlight on a Monday night with a critter whose mental model of the world does not include [ ]
January 13, 2026 at 2:02 AM
porchlight on a Monday night with a critter whose mental model of the world does not include [ ]
Asking about phronēsis in relation to artificially intelligent agents, as Sullins does here, seems to me a crucial, if oft-overlooked, question.
John P. Sullins. "Artificial Phronesis: What It Is and What It Is Not" (2021)
academic.oup.com/book/41621/c...
John P. Sullins. "Artificial Phronesis: What It Is and What It Is Not" (2021)
academic.oup.com/book/41621/c...
January 12, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Asking about phronēsis in relation to artificially intelligent agents, as Sullins does here, seems to me a crucial, if oft-overlooked, question.
John P. Sullins. "Artificial Phronesis: What It Is and What It Is Not" (2021)
academic.oup.com/book/41621/c...
John P. Sullins. "Artificial Phronesis: What It Is and What It Is Not" (2021)
academic.oup.com/book/41621/c...
Wæs se grimma gæst Grendel haten,
mære mearcstapa, se þe moras heold,
fen ond fæsten;
fifelcynnes eard wonsæli wer weardode hwile, siþðan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde in Caines cynne.
mære mearcstapa, se þe moras heold,
fen ond fæsten;
fifelcynnes eard wonsæli wer weardode hwile, siþðan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde in Caines cynne.
January 12, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Wæs se grimma gæst Grendel haten,
mære mearcstapa, se þe moras heold,
fen ond fæsten;
fifelcynnes eard wonsæli wer weardode hwile, siþðan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde in Caines cynne.
mære mearcstapa, se þe moras heold,
fen ond fæsten;
fifelcynnes eard wonsæli wer weardode hwile, siþðan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde in Caines cynne.
Reposted by Brice Cummings
Joint statement by 4 former officials in Democratic and Republican Administrations—including four NATO Ambassadors, 3 Assistant Secretaries of State for Europe, and 3 NSC Senior Directors.
Excellent opening in particular.
Excellent opening in particular.
America’s Strategic Alliance with Denmark and NATO
A statement by 14 former officials in Democratic and Republican Administrations—including four NATO Ambassadors, 3 Assistant Secretaries of State for Europe, and 3 NSC Senior Directors
newsletter.ivodaalder.com
January 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Joint statement by 4 former officials in Democratic and Republican Administrations—including four NATO Ambassadors, 3 Assistant Secretaries of State for Europe, and 3 NSC Senior Directors.
Excellent opening in particular.
Excellent opening in particular.
« Dès demain commencera l’ère nouvelle. La poésie n’existera plus, on brisera les lyres trop lourdes pour les vieilles inspirations. On massacrera les poètes. »
January 9, 2026 at 3:06 PM
« Dès demain commencera l’ère nouvelle. La poésie n’existera plus, on brisera les lyres trop lourdes pour les vieilles inspirations. On massacrera les poètes. »
Behold Grackle the Great, howling at the morning moon
January 6, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Behold Grackle the Great, howling at the morning moon
Here endeth winter vacation.
January 5, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Here endeth winter vacation.