When did slavery end? Intellectual historian Zeev Sternhell makes the following observation: “But it is above all the French Revolution that is overlooked. Slavery was in fact abolished by the French Revolution. The slaves, like the Jews, were liberated, and for the first time in history, all men living within the frontiers of a single […]
The French Revolution and the ending of slavery Read More »
[This excerpt is from Chapter 4 of Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault] Hegel on worshipping the state While a student at Tübingen, Hegel’s favorite reading had been Rousseau. “The principle of freedom dawned on the world in Rousseau, and gave infinite strength to man.”[88] As discussed in Chapter Two, Hegel was
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My paired conversations in the Encroaching Darkness series, “The Seeds of Collectivism” and “Encroaching Darkness.” Hosted by Michael O’Fallon and featuring James Lindsay and me in conversation. Description: When you listen to the moral language and rhetoric of our culture today, you less often hear appeals to “personal responsibility” and “rugged individualism” — and more
Encroaching Darkness series: With James Lindsay and Stephen Hicks Read More »
James Lindsay and I focus on the influential Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose anti-Enlightenment ideology is very much in fashion again after the disasters of Marxist socialism in the 20th century. Bad ideas don’t go away after failure — they get repackaged and re-introduced in other guises. Discussion hosted by Michael O’Fallon. From the description: When you
Is Rousseau now more important than Marx? (With O’Fallon and Lindsay) Read More »
For Week 10 in my Western Civ course: The French Revolution. Previous files in the series: 1. Introduction. 2. The Renaissance Context. 3. England to the Glorious Revolution. 4. Justice and Modernizing the Law. 5. From Feudal to Modern Business and Economics. 6. The American Enlightenment. 7. The Battle for Women’s Liberty and Equality. 8.
PowerPoint added: The French Revolution Read More »
While the world watched France’s revolution, an equally important cultural phenomenon was occurring across the Rhine: “In the year 1789 … nothing else was talked of in Germany but the philosophy of Kant, about which were poured forth in abundance commentaries, chrestomathies, interpretations, estimates, apologies, and so forth.” That’s Heinrich Heine, who also wrote, “Our