Stephen Hicks

Corruption—Is It Worse in Free or Government-Regulated Markets? [Good Life series]

1 Comment / Business Ethics, Politics /

Bad things happen in free markets. Some people lie, cut corners, commit fraud, and write bad checks. Others renege on contracts, offer or accept bribes, give kickbacks, embezzle, and more. Often this translates into an argument for government regulation. Free markets maximize liberty, the argument runs, so they give much more scope to immoral individuals, […]

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Uber, Cuba, Libertad y la Pura Verdad [Spanish translation]

Leave a Comment / Español, Philosophy /

por Stephen Hicks [This is a Spanish translation of “Uber, Cuba, and Freedoms Large and Small”, first published in English at EveryJoe and then translated into Portuguese at Portal Libertarianismo.] Recientemente, conocí a un joven en Miami. En lugar de tomar un taxi, decidí probar Uber por primera vez. Rafael (no es su nombre real)

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Are Reason and Faith Compatible? [Theist vs. Atheist series]

Leave a Comment / Philosophy, Religion /

[This is Part 2 of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between John C. Wright and Stephen Hicks, originally published in English at EveryJoe. In this round Hicks begins and Wright responds.] I appreciate Mr. Wright’s opening essay and am in agreement with substantial portions of it. If we array religions along a spectrum from

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Engineering Ethics talk in Chile — report

Leave a Comment / Business Ethics, Entrepreneurship /

Here’s a report (in Spanish) on my lecture at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago, Chile, to a group of engineering students and faculty. Thank you to Professor Ruth Murrugarra for inviting me. I also did a short follow-up interview (in English) with Andrea Millar Bruna, posted here: AMB: Which are the essential skills for success

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Católico vs. Ateu Parte 5: O Sentido da Vida depende da existência de Vida Após a Morte? [Portuguese translation]

Leave a Comment / Philosophy, Religion /

[This is a Portuguese translation of Part 5 of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between John C. Wright and Stephen Hicks, originally published in English at EveryJoe. In this round Wright begins and Hicks responds.] O Sentido da Vida depende da existência de Vida Após a Morte? Por John C. Wright Tradução de Matheus

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Censorship in Iran — no surprises, but still …

Leave a Comment / Free Speech and Censorship /

Via Vinay Kolhatkar, this news item about the Iranian government’s decision earlier this year to censor dangerous words such as wine and elephant. From The Telegraph‘s report: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, has urged the culture ministry to “focus on producing appealing books and films, designing video games, and developing attractive and meaningful toys”

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Socrates quotations: character, democracy, philosophy

Leave a Comment / Philosophy /

In my Introduction to Philosophy course this week, we are discussing Plato’s Apology. Three snippets: On the priority of character: “Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the State” (Apology, 30b). On the dangers of democracy: “No man on earth who conscientiously opposes

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