Where to Start
A Simple Reading List
1. Reject Political Sloptivism, Embrace the Sublime (May 08, 2025)
This essay serves as a basic wake-up call to detox the mind from the modern internet’s biggest black hole. I critique the tendency of individuals to consume meaningless political outrage, or “politislop,” falsely believing it makes a difference. It is an excellent starting point because it challenges the beginner to abandon reactive herd mentality and instead embrace personal struggle and the arduous pursuit of beauty.
2. The Tao of the Octagon (February 04, 2026)
Using the philosophy of Bruce Lee and mixed martial arts, I explain the necessity of letting go of rigid dogmas and structural demands. I emphasize the concept of “emptying your cup” to truly learn. This is placed early in the list because a beginner must clear their mind of preconceived notions and embrace pragmatism before they can absorb new, complex philosophical perspectives.
3. An Aesthetic Death (May 03, 2025)
This post explores what drives individuals to take monumental risks rather than settling for a safe, domesticated existence. I use this theme to illustrate the tragic hero and the value of living an intense life that leaves a memorable legacy. It is a strong early read because it inspires the beginner to value vitality, danger, and a higher purpose over mere comfort.
4. The Un-Lame-ification and Re-Based-ification of Aristotle (March 06, 2026)
Here, I rescue Aristotle from later Christian and scholastic misinterpretations, presenting him as a pragmatic, action-oriented thinker. The essay introduces foundational concepts like eudaimonia (total human flourishing) and techne. This is an ideal middle step, as it provides the reader with a positive, this-worldly framework for building excellent habits and character.
5. Bravura Ethic (May 17, 2026)
This text outlines the ethic of the tragic hero who confronts life’s futility with lucidity and fierceness. It advocates for a rebellion against a boring, mechanized world through relentless striving and a refusal to surrender, much like a fighting bull in the arena. It fits perfectly after Aristotle, taking the concept of human flourishing and applying it to a framework of revolt and noble struggle.
6. The Aesthetics of the Future (Oct 15, 2025)
This piece serves as a bridge between practical ethics and my broader metaphysical framework. Having established how an individual should act, cultivate habits, and rebel against modern drudgery, the reader is now asked to look toward what kind of cultural and perceptual paradigms must be built next. It redefines art, style, and beauty not as passive museum pieces, but as active forces capable of shaping civilization's trajectory.
This essay starts getting into more complex ontology by steering away from nostalgic, static views of the past of the Homeric past. I introduce Heraclitus to champion a reality rooted in constant flux, dynamic change, and strife (agon). This requires more intellectual heavy lifting to understand because there is a novel thought for us moderns that reality is not composed of fixed forms, but of ceaseless movement.
8. Beyond Traditionalism: The Vital Impulse Unbound (September 06, 2025)
This massive polemic is what got me on the map in the first place. I deconstruct “Capital-T Traditionalism,” cyclical history, and, basically, Advaita Vedanta. This serves, for now, as my introduction to a philosophy of “vitality,” drawing on Henri Bergson’s élan vital. But the deconstruction of the self or essences via Buddhism and the analysis of values by Nietzsche is just as important. It requires the conceptual stamina built from the previous texts to fully comprehend.
9. Unlocking the Secrets of Friendship (Apr 08, 2026)
Considered the ultimate test of the reading list, this piece doesn’t hold your hand. It elevates my work from solitary self-overcoming to elite human connection. I use this text to demonstrate that true friendship (philia) is impossible for the unformed individual, requiring the full conceptual stamina and character built from all the previous texts to finally practice among equals. If you make it through this test, you can consider yourself my friend.