@davoh
Professor of Philosophy, Religion, Classics, and Environmental Studies. I study fish and forests, and the cultural ideas that connect them. Current home: South Dakota. Former homes: NY, VT, NM, PA, España. Canon for Creation Care, Episcopal Diocese of SD.
I can read in a dozen or more ancient languages from around the world, but in general if someone asks me for help with tattoos and they don’t know the language they’re asking about, I don’t help. davoh.org/2013/04/26/w...
道: https://davoh.org/2026/03/03/191033.html
Happy St David’s Day to all who celebrate. It was an important day to my Welsh mother, and so I hang the flag this day, and I watch for the daffodils, remembering her until we meet again.
A notebook page features various hand-drawn designs and notes for constructing furniture, including sketches of a chair, a wavy bench, and details about using materials like pallets, cedar, and plywood.
Building Benches: https://davoh.org/2026/03/01/building-benches.html
A handwritten note displays text in both Greek and English, quoting Herodotus with a reference to A.D. Godley.
Herodotus in my Pocketbook: https://davoh.org/2026/03/01/herodotus-in-my-pocketbook.html
A man with long hair, wearing glasses and a jacket, is holding a guitar on his shoulder in a line drawing style.
A friend who has meant a lot to me over the years recently posted a photo of himself. I took some time to sketch the image, not just once but several times. He lives far away and I rarely see him now, but it felt good to let my pen imagine him nearby on paper.
A welsh flag with the red dragon on a white and green background hangs from a flagpole in a suburban front porch.
A yellow blossom of a daffodil rises among dry brown leaves and a few green shoots
Dewi Sant: https://davoh.org/2026/03/01/dewi-sant.html
Two people are lying on the ground together in a comforting embrace, drawn in a sketch style.&10;&10;That’s what AI says. And I like that. But the boys are also wrestling. Is that comforting embrace? Maybe! They are twin brothers, and they do love to wrestle, so maybe this is what comfort looks like to them.
Brothers: https://davoh.org/2026/02/28/brothers.html
A journal filled with handwritten notes and glasses rests on an open page, surrounded by books including The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Coffee shop seminar notes.
A stack of books on a wooden table covers topics ranging from AI and deception to puzzles and environmental issues.
Today’s shelfie. Lots of meetings, fewer books.
In my Asian philosophies class I’m requiring them to learn a little Devanagari and a little Chinese. I love what I’m seeing, and a few have bought brush pens so they can capture notes as calligraphy.
Some are scrapbooking their classes, making their notebooks come alive with more than their handwriting.
One started taking his notebook to work because his co-workers know other languages and he is learning from them and taking notes.
This year I’ve asked my students to buy a good notebook — one they’ll be glad to own forever — and a pen that feels good in their hands.
I’ve been pleased to see them using their notebooks, getting creative with colors and lines and images.
Sharing this because it was written by a friend this morning and because it’s good advice about solving problems that affect us all.
www.linkedin.com/posts/matthe...
A stack of books featuring titles on American pragmatist philosophy, Chinese classics on war and philosophy, and strategic thought is neatly organized.
My day in books. Today’s shelfie.
This week I will be asking my philosophy students to reflect on the growth of their understanding of their place in the world.
And one more. My point is this: if you’re old and wealthy enough to afford some spare pencils, get some, use them shamelessly, and share the joy with others. davoh.org/2025/03/09/y...
Sometimes when I sketch, others stop to sketch with me. And when that happens I am glad to share my art supplies. davoh.org/2025/03/09/s...
Thank you! It makes me glad to slow down a little and sketch the beautiful things I see.
In which I relentlessly continue to make mediocre art because it gladdens my heart to do so, and because by practicing each day I become a little less mediocre.
A sketchbook page features a watercolor painting of a historical structure and a botanical illustration of an Asphodel flower, with handwritten notes and dates.
A detailed sketch of an asphodel flower with a green background is accompanied by handwritten notes about its location and date.
Asphodel in Tiryns: https://davoh.org/2026/02/21/asphodel-in-tiryns.html
A watercolor painting depicts a classic, rectangular stone structure surrounded by greenery and a cloudy sky.&10;&10;Okay, the above was written by AI, and it’s not bad. But I’ll add this: it’s a watercolor that I did this morning, of the Treasury of the Athenians in Delphi, a small structure that has been partially rebuilt just downhill from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. It’s a lovely little structure that is always surrounded by green grass and flowers. In the background are the tall dark trees, including cylindrical cypress trees, which are commonly found in Greek cemeteries as memorials.
Delphi Treasury: https://davoh.org/2026/02/21/delphi-treasury.html
Contemplation: https://davoh.org/2026/02/20/contemplation.html
Truth
I’d love to find one. I’m probably not the one to write it but I’d sure love to read it.
Brilliant. Much of what I read I read very fast — it feels like driving on a highway, getting a rough picture of the landscape. But you’re describing something more like stopping in a small town, having a meal, maybe staying for a while and getting to know its people and culture. So very good.
Dorothea, and you, and me: https://davoh.org/2026/02/14/dorothea-and-you-and-me.html
Often when we write — and especially when we write by hand, the slow work of pen on paper — words and ideas come forth that we did not yet know were latent within us.
Our souls are word-seed banks full of years-old seeds awaiting the light of day.
