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middleway.bsky.social
david @ middleway
@middleway.bsky.social
440 followers 800 following 1.1K posts
#middleway
@middleway
Believe nothing, as you have been told it.
Jumble & windbaggery, buddhism philosophy & opera. Some hamsters too.
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middleway.bsky.social
david @ middleway @middleway.bsky.social · Feb 6
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche giving Pointing Out instructions

"To stop thinking, you need to recognize your essence. It’s like seeing the sun in the sky just once—forever after, you know what the sun looks like ... " 🔆

🙏🏻

#rinpoche #dzogchen #dharma #buddhism #tibetan #mahamudra
#nyingma #tibet
middleway.bsky.social
Schopenhauer didn't want to be a misanthrope; he wanted to be a 'kataphronanthrope'. Hatred grants people too much respect. To avoid hate, he eventually pivoted to compassion.
#Philsky #Schopenhauer
December 1, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by david @ middleway
leonscafe.bsky.social
Article: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/perf...
November 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by david @ middleway
davidbatherwoods.bsky.social
It’s publication day! Spread the word. The perfect Christmas gift for the pessimist in your life.
November 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by david @ middleway
natacha.bsky.social
Иigel Faяage would really hate it if you signed and shared this petition.

I suspect ьoяis Johиsoи would too.
Petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy
We are concerned about reported efforts from Russia to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Russian influence campaig...
petition.parliament.uk
November 23, 2025 at 1:04 PM
middleway.bsky.social
engelsbergideas.com/reviews/scho...
There is a strong argument to be made, in fact, that it is only now, over 200 years after Schopenhauer published his primary work, The World as Will and Representation – when progress no longer feels like a given – that his philosophy can be truly appreciated.
Schopenhauer's philosophy of hope
A new biography shows how Schopenhauer’s philosophy of universal suffering might offer surprising grounds for hope.
engelsbergideas.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by david @ middleway
icarousse.bsky.social
A few years ago I sat in on a panpsychism seminar and could not understand why one of the speakers was talking about eagles. Eventually worked out I was mishearing 'ego'...
sanho.bsky.social Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 5d
This path leads to chaos.
Phil Gentry @pmgentry A professor of mine went to go hear Derrida speak once. The entire talk was about cows; everyone was flummoxed but listened carefully, and took notes about...cows. There was a short break, and when Derrida came back, he was like, "I'm told it is pronounced 'chaos. 11:28 AM • 4/5/21 from Philadelphia, PA • Twitter for iPhone
November 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by david @ middleway
rutgerbregman.com
It’s especially ironic because the lecture is exactly about the ‘paralyzing cowardice’ of today’s elites.

About universities, corporations and media networks bending the knee to authoritarianism. /4
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by david @ middleway
rutgerbregman.com
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
middleway.bsky.social
Schopenhauer would compare this period of his youth to the story of the Buddha’s awakening, when, as the young prince Siddhartha Guatama, he first ventured out into the world only to be confronted everywhere by sickness, pain, and death.

press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Arthur Schopenhauer
An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer’s pessimism. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almos...
press.uchicago.edu
November 26, 2025 at 6:43 AM
middleway.bsky.social
Peter Hujar
Palermo Catacombs #11, Rows of Bodies
1963
#Hujar
whitney.org/collection/w...
Skip to main content Whitney Museum of American Art Menu Collection Peter Hujar Palermo Catacombs #11, Rows of Bodies 1963 A black and white photograph displaying a collection of mummified bodies dressed in decayed clothing, positioned upright against a wall with shelves containing more bodies in the background. Not on view Date 1963 Classification Photographs Medium Gelatin silver print Dimensions Sheet: 20 × 15 7/8in. (50.8 × 40.3 cm) Image: 15 1/2 × 15 1/4in. (39.4 × 38.7 cm) Accession number 2011.31 Credit line Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Photography Committee Rights and reproductions © 1987 The Peter Hujar Archive API artworks/38779 Peter Hujar 39 works in the collection, 15 exhibitions API documentation Images & permissions Open access Sign up for our newsletter Email address Here to help Contact us FAQ Press Accessibility Get involved Support us Membership Jobs & internships Independent Study Program Mission & values About us Land acknowledgment Privacy policy Terms & conditions About whitney.org Dark Reduced motion © 2025 Whitney Museum of American Art
November 21, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by david @ middleway
christrekkin.bsky.social
Felt like a good time to do another singing video, so here's me singing 'Vanish into You' from Lady Gaga's Mayhem album

Hope you enjoy it 😀💜🎵
November 16, 2025 at 1:55 PM
middleway.bsky.social
Chinese intelligence assets still operating in UK.

“They kissed a lot of frogs,” one Whitehall source told The Times.

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Keir Starmer to approve Chinese embassy plan & prime minister to visit #China
@tsamtruk.bsky.social
Keir Starmer to approve Chinese embassy plan with blessing of MI5 He also plans to be the first prime minister to visit the country since 2018, despite warnings that Beijing is carrying out mass espionage against UK targets China had warned of “consequences” if the development at Royal Mint Court, near the Tower of London, was rejected DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS Steven Swinford, Political Editor Friday November 21 2025, 7.53am, The Times Share Save Sir Keir Starmer is expected to formally approve a new super-sized Chinese embassy in the heart of London next month after being given the green light by MI5 and MI6. The Times has been told that the Home Office and the Foreign Office will not raise any formal objections to the plan, providing that appropriate “mitigations” are put in place to protect national security. The two departments, which represent the security services, are expected to submit their formal responses to the planned embassy in the coming days before a decision is made on December 10. A Whitehall source said the embassy’s approval was likely to be a “formality”. Starmer is also expected to travel to China next year as Britain seeks to bolster economic relations with Beijing, despite concerns that it is carrying out large-scale espionage against the UK. Sir Keir Starmer and President Xi at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November last year STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA Tensions between Britain and China have grown since the collapse of a spy trial in which two men — Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry — were accused of passing information on to Beijing. The pair deny wrongdoing, and the case was brought to a halt after the government refused to describe China as a threat to national security. ADVERTISEMENT China had warned of “consequences” if its new UK embassy was not given planning permission. A decision on the development at Royal Mint Court, near the Tower of London — above a vast web of fibre-optic cables used to carry informatio…
November 21, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by david @ middleway
anonopin.bsky.social
Books. No cookie preferences. No cookies. No GDPR. No pop ups. No bots. No floating videos. No AI. No ads. No trackers. No misinformation. No fascist techbros. No distracting animations. No paywalls. No influencers. How good are these things? Books are frickin awesome
October 23, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by david @ middleway
jonathanwebber.bsky.social
✨✨

The Penguin Book of Existentialist Philosophy

edited by me

is published today in the UK!

(Australia and North America publication is next February.)

✨✨
The Penguin Book of Existentialist Philosophy
'Superb ... I can't imagine a better way of meeting the existentialists in all their variety' - Sarah Bakewell, author of At the Existentialist Café ‘We are thrown into the world at every moment, an...
www.penguin.co.uk
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
middleway.bsky.social
Hoarfrost on the blades of grass,
Harbinger of the cold winter wind

by the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso
The season of flowers is finished, But the turquoise bee is not sad; Our love's delights have ended, Neither have I any reason for sadness. Hoarfrost on the blades of grass, Harbinger of the cold winter wind, The winter wind that breaks the bond Between the flowers and the bee.
November 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
middleway.bsky.social
The season of flowers is finished,
But the turquoise bee is not sad
The season of flowers is finished, But the turquoise bee is not sad; Our love's delights have ended, Neither have I any reason for sadness. Hoarfrost on the blades of grass, Harbinger of the cold winter wind, The winter wind that breaks the bond Between the flowers and the bee.
November 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
middleway.bsky.social
"Break the silence" slogans can harm more than help BJPsych argues silence in mental illness isn't always stigma, sometimes it's a symptom (depression) or a coping strategy (mania) We need space for "positive silence" instead of pressure
#WorldPhilosophyDay2025
#philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
lisabortolotti.com Lisa Bortolotti @lisabortolotti.com · 11d
On #WorldPhilosophyDay2025, read Jae Ryeong Sul and Dan Degerman's opinion piece in the British Journal of Psychiatry: Why we need a new understanding of silence in mental illness www.cambridge.org/co... #philsky #philpsy #epistemicinjustice
cover of the journal issue where the paper was published EPIC logo
November 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by david @ middleway
philosophyblogs.bsky.social
On #WorldPhilosophyDay2025, read our most popular blog posts in the last year: Sally Latham introduces Fantastic Philosophy imperfectcognitions.... #philsky #edusky
Fantastic Philosophy
A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.
imperfectcognitions.blogspot.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
middleway.bsky.social
A pair of harvest mice pop up from the head of sunflower in Dorset to view their surroundings
MARIA KULA/TWO POINT O MEDIA
November 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM
middleway.bsky.social
From Loot to Legacy: Rethinking “Tibetan Art” in Western Museums
Thupten Kelsang

The large-scale Imperial looting campaigns by the British in Tibet like the invasion in 1903–4 by Francis Younghusband (1863–1942), has received comparatively limited academic attention.

post.moma.org/from-loot-to...
From Loot to Legacy: Rethinking “Tibetan Art” in Western Museums - post
Debates around the ownership of cultural heritage and decolonizing museums have become increasingly visible and polarizing in the public domain, leading to attempts to redefine the term “museum” itsel...
post.moma.org
November 19, 2025 at 7:40 AM
middleway.bsky.social
1911, Spielrein presented a bold theory to the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society at an event hosted by Freud.
During her talk, she proposed that the same inner forces that drive people to love, desire and create can also make them want to destroy — even themselves

cysfib.livejournal.com/15052.html
archive.today webpage capture Saved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/obituaries/sabina-spielrein-overlooked.html history 14 Nov 2025 22:24:31 UTC All snapshots from host www.nytimes.com WebpageScreenshot sharedownload .zipreport bug or abuseBuy me a coffee Skip to contentSkip to site indexSection Navigation Search Log in You have been granted access, use your keyboard to continue reading. “My Name Was Sabina Spielrein” (2002), directed by Elisabeth Márton. Credit: Facets Video. Overlooked No More: Sabina Spielrein, Visionary Lost Between Freud and Jung She maintained a triangular correspondence with the two men, who overshadowed the significant contributions she made to the field of psychoanalysis. “My Name Was Sabina Spielrein” (2002), directed by Elisabeth Márton. Credit: Facets Video.Credit... Listen to this article · 9:04 min Learn more By Nina Siegal Nov. 14, 2025 This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung — and Sabina Spielrein. As the field of psychoanalysis was emerging in the early 1900s, those scientists were linked in a triangular dialogue that included letters, scholarly articles and debates. Yet for decades, Spielrein’s contributions were overshadowed by the two men. Only recently has her role begun to be fully acknowledged. In 1911, Spielrein presented a bold theory before the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society at an event hosted by Freud. During her talk, she proposed that the same inner forces that drive people to love, desire and create can also make them want to destroy — even themselves — a notion that became the focus of her 1912 paper “Destruction as the Cause of Becoming.” When Freud published his essay “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” (1920), he gave a label to the urge — Thanatos, or the death drive — that acted in opposition to the sex drive, which he called Eros. He cited Spielrein in a footnote and, for many d…
November 18, 2025 at 5:25 PM
middleway.bsky.social
Join Kasur Lobsang Nyandak, a prominent Tibetan leader and former Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, now serving as Executive Director of the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala

www.thebuddhistsociety.org/page/the-dal...
The Dalai Lama and the Future of Tibet: A Vision for Compassion and Resilience
www.thebuddhistsociety.org
November 18, 2025 at 1:57 PM
middleway.bsky.social
China is simply bored of Europe’s hectoring and feels able to ignore it.Indeed, China sees little reason to worry about a souring of its relations with Europe. Policy officials in Beijing have already outmanoeuvred Mr Trump in the trade war, and think that dispatching Europe will be even easier.
The Economist ● Insider The Economist Skip to content ● Insider Weekly edition The world in brief War in the Middle East War in Ukraine United States World Ahead 2026 The world economy Business Artificial intelligence Cartoons & games Explore The Economist Insider. ● China | Chaguan Europe sees China as a rival. China sees Europe as a has-been Yet China may be underestimating Europe’s willingness to push back Saved Share A man on top of a moutain looking at boxes and rounds in the background. Illustration: Cornelia Li Nov 17th 2025 | 5 min read Listen to this story AI Narrated European leaders reserve some of their fiercest criticism for themselves. They are admirably blunt in diagnosing their political and economic problems, if sadly not as adept at fixing them. Yet if they are feeling especially masochistic, they should consider travelling to China. There they will find much of their own self-criticism broadcast back to them—but amplified and in even harsher tones. Europeans endlessly debate how to avoid becoming trapped between America and China. For many in China that seems needless, because they already view Europe as an American pawn. “Europe is incapable of truly breaking free from America to become independent,” opined a scholar from Fudan University in a recent article. Europeans obsess over their competitiveness. In China many see that as laughable. “Europe simply lacks the strength to meet the challenges” in many technological domains, declared the Economic Daily, a Chinese newspaper. As for challenges to European unity, Eurocrats love to navel-gaze. In China critics go a step farther. “Whether the European Union can even survive until 2035 is a question,” Zhang Weiwei, a nationalist academic, said on television in September. And these are just the public comments. In private, as Chaguan recently heard from a range of Chinese scholars, the opinions are often more scathing. Europe is a bit like an ageing concubine who cannot accept that she has b…
November 18, 2025 at 1:55 PM
middleway.bsky.social
A view that possesses the confidence of the natural state is like a vulture soaring through the skies.

Tulku Urgyen
Here are the six sets of view and meditation with the confidence that comes with wisdom: A view that possesses the confidence of the natural state is like a vulture soaring through the skies. A meditation training that possesses skillful means and vital points is like a strong glue to which flies stick. To possess remedies acquired from experience is like a skilled doctor diagnosing the disease. Experience that possesses the signs of progress is like a young maiden tasting pleasure. Conduct that possesses stability is like using a spur on a strong, fast horse. A fruition that is free of hope and fear is like a traveler return-ing home. First, the view is like the simile of the vulture that must use its wings to climb until it has reached the vast expanse of sky but upon reaching the open sky may soar without effort or anything to gain. Similarly, in this case, you should establish certainty in the view by means of three things the Conqueror's words, your own intelligence, and a sublime master's instructions until you have realized the natural state. Then you can repose in the realization of the ultimate view of the natural state and be beyond effort and gain in body, speech, and mind.
November 15, 2025 at 7:59 PM
middleway.bsky.social
On a Clipped Wing, Flamingo Escapes a British Zoo for a Life in France www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/w...
On a Clipped Wing, Flamingo Escapes a British Zoo for a Life in France
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:27 PM