In his 1932 The Doctrine of Fascism, Benito Mussolini quotes approvingly historian Ernst Renan for his “pre-fascist intuitions”: “The maxim that society exists only for the well-being and freedom of the individuals composing it does not seem to be in conformity with nature’s plans, which care only for the species and seem ready to sacrifice […]
Mussolini and Kant on war and the sacrifice of individuals Read More »
The connections between philosophy theory and political practice are often long-term. Here are three juxtapositions of quotations from philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and philosopher Gentile and politician Mussolini in the 1930s. On what’s good for the species versus what’s good for the individual: Kant,: “For all of that, this path that for the
3 paired Kant and Mussolini quotes on individuals, reason, war Read More »
The fascist Benito Mussolini had high praise for the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes: “Fascism entirely agrees with Mr. Maynard Keynes, despite the latter’s prominent position as a Liberal. In fact, Mr. Keynes’ excellent little book, The End of Laissez-Faire (l926) might, so far as it goes, serve as a useful introduction to fascist
Mussolini on Keynes’s economics Read More »
[This text is also available via my Texts in Philosophy page.] Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile The Doctrine of Fascism (1932) Like all sound political conceptions, Fascism is action and it is thought; action in which doctrine is immanent, and doctrine arising from a given system of historical forces in which it is inserted, and
Mussolini and Gentile’s *The Doctrine of Fascism* Read More »
According to Ernst Cassirer, Immanuel Kant was “the man who introduced anthropology as a branch of study in German universities.”[1] And anthropologist W. E. Mühlmann calls Kant “the founder of the modern concept of race.”[2] All humans are members of the same species, Kant argues, since members of the different races are capable of interbreeding.
Kant versus racial interbreeding Read More »
Quotations on Nazi socialism and fascism. Excerpt from Nietzsche and the Nazis.
Appendix 2: Quotations on Nazi socialism and fascism [Nietzsche and the Nazis] Read More »
The 20th century’s most famous philosopher addresses this question: Why do philosophy, if none of its questions are answerable? Related: Others in the Philosophers, Explained series: Catharine MacKinnon on censoring pornography as violence.Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels on overthrowing capitalism. John Stuart Mill on free speech. Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile on the philosophy of
Bertrand Russell: Is Philosophy Valuable? | Philosophers, Explained by Stephen Hicks Read More »
Do We Know What We Advocate? Stephen Hicks’s Defence of Individualism By Professor Piotr Kostyło Piotr Kostyło is Head of the Department of Philosophy of Education at Kasimir the Great University in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The forty-five years of communism in Poland (1944-1989) were marked by the government reminding society of the atrocities committed during World
Professor Piotr Kostyło reviews *Nietzsche and the Nazis* Read More »
1 Immanuel Kant on the limits of reason. Critique of Pure Reason. 2 William James on pacifism and defeating militarism. “The Moral Equivalent of War.” 3 Galileo Galilei on not persecuting scientists. “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina.” Coming soon: The 30 in the first series include:
The first three episodes in *Philosophers, Explained* series: Kant, James, Galileo Read More »
Related: Close readings of authoritarian thinkers in the Philosophers, Explained series: Hegel, Gentile and Mussolini, Marx and Engels, Heidegger, Dugin, Nietzsche.
The Rise of Authoritarianism Panel [In case you missed it] Read More »