Michel Foucault is the most famous postmodernist, and In his History of Sexuality he asks, among other questions:* Are we less sexually repressed than the Victorians?* Is casual pedophilia really such a big deal?* Is sexual liberation actual, or simply a new strategy of capitalist power? In the Philosophers, Explained series:
Foucault on Sex and Power Read More »
Re-reading The Fountainhead made me wonder: Is the character Gordon Prescott based on Martin Heidegger’s philosophy?
The Fountainhead’s Gordon Prescott—Heidegger’s disciple? Read More »
Here’s a list based on philosopher Douglas Lackey’s 1999 survey of philosophers. The results were published in The Philosophical Forum. Interesting that the full list is dominated by works in epistemology. Metaphysics and ethics are less represented by a significant margin. The top ten books cited:1. Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations [179 citations]2. Heidegger, Being and Time
What are the most important works in 20th century philosophy? Read More »
In the Renaissance, there was a lively debate among artists and critics over which art form was the best. Cases were made for and against painting, sculpture, poetry, and music. To my mind, the debate is silly philosophically, but it is a fun and instructive exercise to compare the strengths and limitations of each art
Is architecture the best art form? Read More »
(Reprising this translation by Coleman Barks) Little by little, wean yourself.This is the gist of what I have to say.From an embryo, whose nourishment comes in the blood,move to an infant drinking milk,to a child on solid food,to a searcher after wisdom,to a hunter of more invisible game. Think how it is to have a
“Wean Yourself,” Rumi Read More »
One of my all-time favorite passages from Aristotle is in his Parts of Animals (Book 1, Chapter 5).
The scientific mind, according to Aristotle Read More »
In the below documentary, a number of Heidegger scholars discuss his philosophy and its relationship to his National Socialism. For follow-up scholarship on the philosophy-politics connections: Faye (https://www.amazon.com/Heidegger-Introduction-Philosophy-Unpublished-1933-1935/dp/0300172079/) and Philipse (https://www.amazon.com/Heideggers-Philosophy-Being-Herman-Philipse/dp/0691001197) are very good, in my judgment. Related: Heidegger on metaphysics, in the Philosophers, Explained series.
Heidegger’s dark politics and philosophy: book recommendations Read More »