(Reprising this post on my favorite biography.) I finished Anthony Holden’s Tchaikovsky (Random House, 1995), an outstandingly well-written account of the great composer’s life. Here is an indication of the young Pyotr’s aptitude for music: “Tchaikovsky’s parents entertained a Polish pianist of their acquaintance, who naturally gave an evening concert for the thin line of […]
Anthony Holden’s Tchaikovsky Read More »
The published series now includes thirty episodes, of which the first ten are: 1 Immanuel Kant on the limits of reason. Critique of Pure Reason. 2 William James on pacifism and defeating militarism. “The Moral Equivalent of War.” 3 Galileo Galilei on not persecuting scientists, “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina.” 4 Arachne and Athena
The first ten *Philosophers, Explained* Read More »
Exhibit A: Suppose one is studying Plato’s philosophy and encounters this question: Are the Forms to be taken as metaphysical realities or as rhetorical devices? One notes that for years scholars have informally discussed the issue. A formal debate is then proposed. Immediately, one observes this among some Platonists: 1.This should not be debated! Plato
Debate or not? A psychological red flag Read More »
The last line of Camus’s famous essay is: “We must imagine Sisyphus happy.” But why must we? He is condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, repeatedly. What pointless exertion. What futility. Just like most people’s lives. Here is my reading of Camus’s classic text, with explanation: Related: The full Philosophers, Explained series, including
Why must we imagine Sisyphus happy? Read More »
“I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.” (Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 1) “It is the mark of a free man not to live at another’s beck and call.” (Aristotle, Rhetoric 1367a30) “One profits more by the mistakes one makes off one’s own bat than by doing the right thing on
The soul of adventure — quotations Read More »
Who are the great philosophers, and what makes them great? This Episode: A close reading of Mill’s classic argument for robust free speech. The full playlist. Includes: About the Professor: Stephen R. C. Hicks, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, USA, and has had visiting positions at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., the
J.S. Mill | *On Liberty* | Philosophers, Explained by Professor Stephen Hicks Read More »
Reprising this quotation about things that stay the same: “King Louis XIV, the Sun King, died after seventy-two years on the throne. As he lay dying, the old king counseled his heir, his five-year-old great-grandson: ‘I loved war too much, do not imitate me in this, nor in my excessive spending habits.’ The five-year-old presumably
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15-lecture series by Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University. Part Eight: Realism and Education. What did the major Behaviorist thinkers and B.F. Skinner in particular believe, and how they apply it to education? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: Introduction: What is the purpose of education, and what is philosophy’s relevance? Part Two: Reality:
Beyond the “illusion of freedom and dignity” — Education Theory 10 Read More »