Category Archives: Interviews

Ruth Grant Asks “What Does a Good Life Look Like?”

Posted on May 23, 2011 by dianesilver

The first of my two interviews with Duke political scientist and philosopher Ruth Grant occurred on Jan. 12, 2011. There was too much material from even that one interview to squeeze into my magazine article about her work, so here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, Interviews, Practicing Goodness | Tagged Duke University, In Search of Goodness, Ruth Grant, transcript | 3 Comments

The Trajectory of Moral Progress

Posted on January 27, 2011 by dianesilver

The thought for the day is from my recent interview with Duke Professor Ruth Grant: (W)e have ambivalence about whether we are on a trajectory of moral progress or a trajectory of moral corruption. We have some sense that things … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, morality | Tagged Duke University, In Search of Goodness, Ruth Grant, University of Chicago Press | 1 Comment

Days 184 – 222: The Log

Posted on January 19, 2011 by dianesilver

I haven’t fallen off the edge of the Earth, although it might look like it. I’ve been contemplating and working since I posted that I was Taking Time To Think about Tucson. Thus, my time has been made up of … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Log, Interviews | Tagged Gabrielle Giffords, Ruth Grant, The Goodness Project, Tucson shooting | 4 Comments

I Enter the 21st Century

Posted on November 11, 2010 by dianesilver

I’m rather proud of myself today as I have conquered yet another piece of technology. I’ve finally figured out Skype, which as my friends suggested isn’t at all hard. And through the miracle of an inexpensive bit of software, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, The Quest | Tagged Call Recorder, In Search of Goodness, Skype, technology, video, YouTube | Leave a comment

Roitman & Lombardo Pt 5: No One Ever Finishes

Posted on July 30, 2010 by dianesilver

JUDY: It’s a total misunderstanding of how that really operates. DIANE: So, it was a matter of only looking for short-term benefits for themselves, and misunderstanding that we’re really all fingers on the same hand. JUDY: Yes, and also a … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Interviews, morality | Tagged Judy Roitman, Kansas Zen Center, Kwan Um School of Zen, Stanley Lombardo, University of Kansas | 4 Comments

Roitman & Lombardo Pt 4: Compassion and Wisdom

Posted on July 29, 2010 by dianesilver

STAN: But ultimately you return to the group, you return to the world. JUDY: Don’t leave off walking meditation. STAN: And (we also do) walking meditation, which many people see as a form of relief between the periods of sitting … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, empathy, Interviews, morality | Tagged good vs. evil, Judy Roitman, Kansas Zen Center, Kwan Um School of Zen, paramitas, Stanley Lombardo, Thich Nat Hanh, University of Kansas | 4 Comments

Roitman & Lombardo Pt 3: The Cruelty of Moral Codes

Posted on July 28, 2010 by dianesilver

JUDY: You have to be careful because it’s not that there’s an I and a you. DIANE: Explain that. JUDY: So, here’s my hand. DIANE: Five fingers up. JUDY: Right. So this finger is angry at that finger. Isn’t that … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Interviews, morality | Tagged Judy Roitman, Kansas Zen Center, Kwan Um School of Zen, Kwan Yin, Stanley Lombardo, University of Kansas | 2 Comments

Roitman & Lombardo Pt 2: Confronting Suffering

Posted on July 27, 2010 by dianesilver

STAN: I’m not as reluctant as Judy to use abstractions such as good, but I share her wariness about these abstractions. What really matters is what we do in any given situation. The Buddha always said: I teach the truth … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, good vs. evil, Interviews | Tagged Gulf oil spill, Judy Roitman, Kwan Um School of Zen, precepts, Stanley Lombardo, Thich Nhat Hanh | 4 Comments

Roitman & Lombardo Pt 1: Goodness Doesn’t Exist

Posted on July 26, 2010 by dianesilver

I’m not interested in what goodness is because I don’t think there is such a thing. What I am interested in, for example in your situation, you want to write about your childhood. In writing about your childhood, you are … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Interviews | Tagged Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, child abuse, coming out, Judy Roitman, Kansas Zen Center, Kwan Um School of Zen, lesbian, Plato, Stanley Lombardo | 2 Comments

Goodness is the Wrong Question

Posted on June 30, 2010 by dianesilver

Plato’s concept of goodness and the startling thought that my entire project could be based on a fallacy were among the topics Stanley Lombardo, Judith Roitman and I tossed around during a 70-minute conversation yesterday. I kid you not when … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Interviews | Tagged Aeneid, Iliad, Judith Roitman, Kansas Zen Center, Kwan Um School of Zen, Plato, Sappho, Seung Sahn, Stanley Lombardo, University of Kansas | 4 Comments

Praising God

Posted on June 16, 2010 by dianesilver

Here’s the full transcript of my June 10 interview with Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg. We chatted over lunch at the Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence, Kan. My biggest surprise? Caryn’s stated purpose in life. DIANE: To ask you the hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, good vs. evil, Interviews | Tagged cancer, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Eldridge Hotel, God, Kansas, Lawrence, Poet Laureate of Kansas, The Holocaust, universal evil, universal good | 5 Comments

Cultivating Goodness

Posted on June 15, 2010 by dianesilver

Unconditional friendliness, living with purpose, obstacles to goodness and using poetry and the arts to pierce our myths are just some of the topics that popped up when I had lunch with Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg on Thursday. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Interviews | Tagged Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Poet Laureate of Kansas, the arts | 3 Comments

The Preachers, the Store Owner, the Sufi and the White Power Guy

Posted on June 11, 2010 by dianesilver

[updated 6/12] Friends and interested bystanders are sending me a multitude of fascinating recommendations for people to interview. Their most recent suggestions include: The Rev. Leo Barbee of The Victory Bible Church, Lawrence, Kan. This is an interesting and inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews | Tagged Gopi Sandal, Jo Anderson, Leonard Zeskind, Marty Kraft, Mary Heiny, Rev. Dennis Hesselbarth, Rev. Leo Barbee, Signs of Life Bookstore | 1 Comment

Stalking the Wild Interview

Posted on June 9, 2010 by dianesilver

My first official interview for The Goodness Project is set for tomorrow with Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, poet laureate of Kansas. I’ve got another interview scheduled at the end of June with Zen Master Hae Kwang and Ji Do Poep Sa Nim … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, The Quest | Tagged Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Dalai Lama, Episcopal Church, Ji Do Poep Sa Nim Judy Roitman, Karen Armstrong, Michael Sandel, Rev. Fred Phelps, Robert Wright, Same Harris, Shirley Phelps, Southern Baptist Convention, United Church of Christ, Zen Master Hae Kwang | Leave a comment

What’s Wrong With Being Right

Posted on June 1, 2010 by dianesilver

On the first day of my quest for goodness, it seems wise to start by considering the pitfalls of righteousness. To do so, I offer this snippet of a previously unpublished interview I did with novelist Laurie J. Marks in … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, Interviews | Tagged Earth Logic, Elemental Logic Series, Fire Log, Laurie J. Marks, Water Logic | 2 Comments