Take me to The Lakes, where all the poets went to die
I don’t belong and, my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry
I’m setting off, but not without my muse”
Take me back there soon.
Taylor Swift does some philosophy covers — sort of
When Taylor Swift dropped her surprise eighth album ‘Folklore’, it felt like a very different prospect to her previous records. This was largely down to the new sonic world she explored, as she cast aside the glossy synth-pop of recent albums and embraced wistful indie-folk. There were new collaborators, too, with The National‘s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver joining Swift’s musical family.
Yet another major difference was the way ‘Folklore’ was rolled out. As Swift did a Beyoncé and shock released it, there wasn’t a huge build-up of several singles that came with accompanying music videos stuffed full of Easter eggs that reveal nuggets of information about the album. (Although there was plenty to decode in the record itself.)
It wouldn’t be a Swift album without some sort of hidden treat, though, and for ‘Folklore’ that comes in the form of ‘The Lakes’. The bonus track is currently unable to stream, only available on physical copies of the album, with fans even startingpetitions to get the tune on streaming services.
Some lucky fans in the UK have already got their paws on a copy of the song (with Swift’s UK label making physical copies available early), but most are still waiting to hear the allusive tune. So for those eagerly awaiting its release, here’s the lowdown on the ‘Folklore’ bonus track.
1) I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one.
2) That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.
3) That God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself.
4) In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.
5) That a man should make the most of what equipment he has.
6) That “this government, of the people, by the people, and for the people,” shall live always.
7) That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.
8) That sooner or later . . . somewhere . . . somehow . . . we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.
9) That all things change, but the truth, and the truth alone lives on forever.
10) I believe in my Creator, my country, my fellow man.
It’s based on Lake – Windermere in the English Lake District.
George Scialabba's book began as a suicide note. “I was, fortunately, too exhausted and disorganized to plan a suicide, much less compose an elegant rebuke to an uncaring world”... elegant
“Humans are natural conformists” and because of this, “individuality, each nugget of genuine idiosyncrasy that is successfully maintained, is a precious achievement worth defending” — Don Ross (Cork) interviewed on the philosophy of economics, individualisms, minds, and more
With the move online, “the web of informal connections that’s sustained on campus” is gone, but there are some things professors can do for students to make up for this — Greg Restall (Melbourne) shares what he has done
Diversity in philosophy vs. the strong barriers put up by “the prestige economy of academia” — Barry Lam (Vassar/Hi-Phi Nation) with a thoughtful analysis of the obstacles to broadening philosophy
The world’s oldest philosophy major just graduated. 96 years old, he was first in his class with top honors. — “I’ve finally realized my dream,” said former railway worker and WW2 veteran Giuseppe Paternò (via John Bogart)
A student’s path from philosophy to work as a tech analyst and now to studying artificial intelligence — there are “a lot of touch points” between philosophy and the tech world, says Iva Simon Bubalo
We should “learn to relish the fruits of idleness” — Max Hayward (Sheffield) on leisure, education, and the “tedium of lockdown”
Australasian philosophers on the pandemic — a bibliography of recent public-facing work
With Breasts and Eggs finally also coming out in the UK -- it's been out in the US a while -- David McNeill has a Q & A in The Guardian with author Mieko Kawakami: 'Women are no longer content to shut up'.