Lou Marinoff: Reflection, Distortion, and Ethics

I've had the pleasure of engaging with the philosopher (and "Renaissance Man") Lou Marinoff in the context of my work. One of Lou's big things is to revive philosophy as something intimately connected with living a good life. His reflections here (about reflections) give a good taste of his approach to philosophy, art, and life.

“Reality is not stable; it is constantly shifting and shimmering. In consequence, every instant is unique. Reflections in water illuminate and exaggerate these evanescent instants, producing images that are even more fleetingly original (and hence more poignantly real) than the actual things reflected. Since glass is also a fluid — albeit a super-fluid that flows in ultra-slow motion  — it is also capable of producing similar illuminations and exaggerations. Every reflected image is a unique slice of reality. It can only be seen once, if at all. Every photo is a mere slice of a slice, but with persisting view-ability. If anyone objects that reflections are distortions of reality, consider that almost all views of reality are distorted to begin with. Those whose views are distorted in harmful ways produce harm; in helpful ways, help; in beautiful ways, beauty.”

Visit Lou's website.