What Is Justice? Three Meanings Explained by Mortimer Adler

In discussing the three cardinal virtues with Bill Moyers, philosopher Mortimer Adler (December 28, 1902–June 28, 2001) said that temperance and courage are self-regarding qualities: They order your life with respect to your own good. Justice, however, orders your life with respect to the common good. And while it’s easy to see why the first … Read more

Glen Campbell on Kindness

“My religion is kindness,” the Dalai Lama is said to have said. These words remind me that the movement of the heart as we practice kindness mirrors the movement of the heart when we let go of conditioned views about ourselves and others. Every person has been conditioned to think and behave in a certain … Read more

Kathryn Schulz on Being Wrong

You are wrong. I am wrong. From time to time, everyone is wrong about something or someone — and completely unaware of it. But wrongness, as it turns out, is not what you think it is. “Wrongness is a window into normal human nature — into our imaginative minds, our boundless faculties, our extravagant souls,” … Read more

Seneca, Epicurus on the Key to Happiness

What causes all unhappiness in our lives, and is there a way to overcome it? To answer this question, two and a half millennia ago, a young man named Siddhattha Gotama left his parents’ palace to become a wandering ascetic. After six years of extreme austerities and meditation, he attained enlightenment and expounded his famous … Read more