I want to start a “Thanks to the X …” series. A classic example: “We’ve all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.” (Robert Silensky) And: “We’ve been taught that all men are […]
Starting a “Thanks to the X …” humor series Read More »
Good question about a philosopher’s beliefs, character, and the connections between them. John Horgan reviews Morris’s memoir-and-critique of Kuhn’s proto-postmodernism. I discuss Kuhn’s impact on first-generation postmodernism in Explaining Postmodernism, noting first how in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn concludes that metaphysical subjective relativism is true (if we can use that word): “the proponents
Errol Morris asks, “Was Thomas Kuhn Evil?” Read More »
On Wednesday, March 27, I will be talking again with Dr. Peterson on his show. The conversation will be recorded for later release. Our earlier discussion in the summer of 2017 ranged over philosophy, psychology, and the history of ideas. The video is at YouTube and the transcription is at my site here. Related: My
Jordan Peterson: Our Next Conversation Scheduled Read More »
… that it’s come to this: Politicians feel they can/must nudge them or coerce them into basic intellectual civility. The President of the United States uses the financial big stick: “Many have become increasingly hostile to the First Amendment and free speech. Under the guise of speech codes, safe spaces, and trigger warnings, these universities
Universities should be deeply embarrassed … Read More »
A new episode of my podcast series, produced by Possibly Correct out of Toronto. Audio: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Topics: Why indoctrination makes sense to postmodernists // Modern ideal of liberal education // My undergraduate experience // New-fashioned indoctrination Transcription: Forthcoming. Sources: John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859), Chapter 2. Mark Lilla: “The history of French philosophy in
Why Postmoderns Train—Not Educate—Activists [Open College series] Read More »
At the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, my article “Why Postmoderns Train—Not Educate—Activists.” Teasers: Who said this? We cannot escape our ethnocentric predicament. We must, in practice, privilege our own group. And this? You don’t want to build up your opponent’s arguments; you want to squelch them. This? Renounce all philosophical speculation and
Why Postmoderns Train—Not Educate—Activists Read More »
For use in my courses, additions to my Texts in Philosophy page. E. K. Daniel, “Two Proofs of God’s Existence” (1994). John Dewey, “The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy” (1909). Ludwig von Mises, “The Myth of the Failure of Capitalism” (1932). Ayn Rand, excerpt from John Galt’s Speech, Atlas Shrugged (1957). Walt Whitman, “Song of
Texts in Philosophy — early 2019 additions Read More »
Our head politician wants to use political leverage to fix higher education’s semi-censorship problem. Universities should be ashamed that it has come to this — those universities, at least, that do not have healthy free-speech cultures. Of course politicians already use their power — financial threats and regulatory compulsion — to make universities do what
Politicians Should *Not* Enforce Free Speech at Universities Read More »