{"id":98581,"date":"2023-04-02T10:09:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-02T14:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=98581"},"modified":"2023-04-11T13:25:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T17:25:02","slug":"intellectual-pursuits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/","title":{"rendered":"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Would you like to be more open-minded and objective? Do you value truth above all? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>The Second Mountain<\/em>, David Brooks argues that the relationalist approach (the &#8220;second mountain&#8221; he endorses) requires a commitment to the intellectual life. It&#8217;s the pathway, he says, to our highest desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Continue reading to learn how intellectual pursuits lead you upward and onward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-intellectual-life\">The Intellectual Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Intellectual pursuits, according to Brooks, should involve the relentless search for truth and moral development. Brooks suggests that we should commit to the intellectual life because it teaches us to pursue the highest desires\u2014like truth, wisdom, and flourishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The notion of truth, wisdom, and flourishing being higher desires remains contentious; according to hedonistic theories of ethics, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/consequentialism\/#ClaUti\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pleasure is the only intrinsically valuable desire<\/a>. According to this view, then, pursuing truth and wisdom is only valuable insofar as it maximizes pleasure.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To show as much, Brooks outlines an array of virtues from the intellectual life that he says help elevate our desires. And though he lists more, we\u2019ll focus on three key virtues: open-mindedness, objectivity, and intellectual courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, Brooks observes that the <strong>intellectual life requires exposure to the varying moral worldviews<\/strong> that were prominent throughout history\u2014including, for instance, the Greek moral system that prized honor and the Christian moral system that prized humility. In turn, intellectual commitment fosters open-mindedness and the ability to evaluate these varying moral systems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Although exposure to alternate worldviews might <em>normally<\/em> lead to open-mindedness, Matthew Syed clarifies that this isn\u2019t <em>always <\/em>the case. In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/rebel-ideas\/1-page-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Rebel Ideas<\/em><\/a>,&nbsp;Syed argues that those in echo chambers\u2014which undermine trust in alternate views by attacking their proponents\u2014actually <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/rebel-ideas\/1-page-summary#danger-2-echo-chambers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">become <em>more <\/em>entrenched in their own beliefs when exposed to different views<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, Brooks claims that <strong>intellectual commitment helps us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/perception-of-the-world\/\">perceive the world<\/a> more objectively<\/strong>, rather than through the lens of our prejudices and biases. This consequently teaches us humility, as it forces us to recognize the biases that distort our thinking and discard them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Brooks\u2019s claim that intellectual commitment helps us overcome our biases is complicated by the fact that many of our biases are <em>implicit<\/em>, lurking in our subconscious. Indeed, in her book, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/biased\/shortform-introduction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Biased<\/em><\/a>, Jennifer Eberhardt even argues that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/biased\/chapters-1-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the majority of our biases are implicit<\/a>, making them harder to uproot. To address such biases, Eberhardt recommends <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/5558181\/jennifer-eberhardt-overcoming-implicit-bias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">examining our assumptions slowly and methodically<\/a>, as implicit biases arise frequently in quick, intuitive forms of thinking.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, Brooks asserts that the <strong>intellectual life teaches us <\/strong><strong><em>intellectual courage<\/em><\/strong><strong>, the capacity for seeking out what is true rather than merely what is popular<\/strong>. Although this won\u2019t satisfy the ego\u2019s vain desire for approval and recognition, Brooks implies that it satisfies our deeper desire for truth and knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Though Brooks claims that intellectual courage forbids us from forming beliefs to earn popularity, some philosophers go a step further\u2014one philosopher, for example, argues that intellectual courage requires us to <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/book\/11569\/chapter-abstract\/160398504?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seek the truth when doing so threatens our well-being<\/a>. On this account, intellectual courage isn\u2019t just a matter of not forming beliefs to be well-liked, but rather forming beliefs that will actively result in our being disliked.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Would you like to be more open-minded and objective? Do you value truth above all? In The Second Mountain, David Brooks argues that the relationalist approach (the &#8220;second mountain&#8221; he endorses) requires a commitment to the intellectual life. It&#8217;s the pathway, he says, to our highest desires. Continue reading to learn how intellectual pursuits lead you upward and onward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":82148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,21,43],"tags":[972],"class_list":["post-98581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-philosophy","category-self-improvement","tag-the-second-mountain","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We should commit to intellectual pursuits because they lead us toward the highest things, such as truth and wisdom. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We should commit to intellectual pursuits because they lead us toward the highest things, such as truth and wisdom. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-02T14:09:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-11T17:25:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1842\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1236\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-02T14:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-11T17:25:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\"},\"wordCount\":543,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Second Mountain\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Education\",\"Philosophy\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\",\"name\":\"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-02T14:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-11T17:25:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"We should commit to intellectual pursuits because they lead us toward the highest things, such as truth and wisdom. Learn more.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg\",\"width\":1842,\"height\":1236},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires - Shortform Books","description":"We should commit to intellectual pursuits because they lead us toward the highest things, such as truth and wisdom. Learn more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires","og_description":"We should commit to intellectual pursuits because they lead us toward the highest things, such as truth and wisdom. Learn more.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2023-04-02T14:09:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-11T17:25:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1842,"height":1236,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires","datePublished":"2023-04-02T14:09:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-11T17:25:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/"},"wordCount":543,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","keywords":["The Second Mountain"],"articleSection":["Education","Philosophy","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/","name":"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-02T14:09:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-11T17:25:02+00:00","description":"We should commit to intellectual pursuits because they lead us toward the highest things, such as truth and wisdom. Learn more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","width":1842,"height":1236},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/intellectual-pursuits\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Intellectual Pursuits Help Us Satisfy Our Highest Desires"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/philosophy-philosopher-statue-thinking-man.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98581"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98581\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98704,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98581\/revisions\/98704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}