"That which does not kill me makes me stronger" is not a law of the universe. What it can be, if we so choose, is a resolution.

Progress is more of a challenge for the cynic but also more important and urgent, since for the optimist things aren't that bad and are bound to get better anyway.

True virtue would never liken its rewards to points on a loyalty card, not because it is its own reward, but because it is not something we should practice to accrue future benefits.

If you believe you are right, then you should believe that you can make the case that you're right. This requires you to deal with serious objections properly.

Happiness is not the same as life satisfaction, while neither are identical to what we might call flourishing.

Since Plato, we have been considering the nature of knowledge, the meaning of meaning and the status of the physical world.

The mark of a mature, psychologically healthy mind is indeed the ability to live with uncertainty and ambiguity, but only as much as there really is. Uncertainty is no virtue when the facts are clear, and ambiguity is mere obfuscation when more precise terms are applicable.