For use in my courses, additions to my Texts in Philosophy page. Ruth Benedict, excerpts from Patterns of Culture (1934) on moral relativism. Richard P. Feynman, “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” (1985). Sigmund Freud, “Man is a wolf to man”. Excerpt from Civilization and Its Discontents (1930). Stephen Jay Gould, “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the […]
Texts in Philosophy — Fall 2018 additions Read More »
[The following is a translation into Polish of my “Is Republishing Hitler’s *Mein Kampf* the Correct Decision?” Thanks to Professor Piotr Kostyło for making this translation possible.] Czy ponowna publikacja książki Adolfa Hitlera Mein Kampf jest słuszną decyzją? Po długich dekadach obowiązywania zakazu, niemieckie władze wyrażają zgodę na ponowną publikację książki Adolfa Hitlera Mein Kampf.
Polish translation of “Is Republishing Hitler’s Mein Kampf the Correct Decision?” Read More »
Make up your mind. Make a move. Make something. Make a deal. Make a career. Make a home. Make love. Make a family. Make a life.
Chart 1.3: Defining Pre-modernism, Modernism, and Post-modernism Pre-modernism Modernism Post-modernism Metaphysics Realism: Super-naturalism Realism: Naturalism Anti-realism Epistemology Mysticism and/or faith Objectivism: Experience and reason Social subjectivism Human Nature Original Sin; Subject to God’s will Tabula rasa and autonomy Social construction and conflict Ethics Collectivism: altruism Individualism Collectivism: egalitarianism Politics & Economics Feudalism Liberal
Defining Pre-modernism, Modernism, and Postmodernism [Explaining Postmodernism] Read More »
On the beautiful usefulness of dialectic, as Marx expressed in a letter to Engels about a predictive claim he’d made: “It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to
Marx as proto-postmodernist — revealing quotation Read More »
I’ll be speaking on “Postmodernism: Philosophy and Politics” as part of The Mill Series of lectures at Lafayette College. The series is named for John Stuart Mill, whose On Liberty, especially its second chapter, is essential reading for free speech and liberal education advocates (and their opponents): “He who knows only his own side of
Upcoming talk at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania Read More »
Acadia University fired a tenured professor. Still not much hard information to go on. But from the public documents, those of us to don’t know the professor or the university atmosphere personally can glean four hypotheses. He was fired because: 1. His positions are ideologically wrong, according to his campus enemies. 2. His manner of
Professor Mehta’s firing: four quick hypotheses Read More »
At the Voluntaryist site, Keith Knight asked me seven questions: 1. What is liberal capitalism, and why is it a moral system? 2. What about the poor? What about bleeding-heart libertarianism, and why should poor people favor liberal capitalism? 3. What is wealth, and how can we accurately measure it? 4. What is the Frankfurt
Don’t Tread on Anyone — Keith Knight’s interview with me Read More »