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.” Coming soon: The 30 in the first series include:
The first three episodes in *Philosophers, Explained* series: Kant, James, Galileo Read More »
At the beginning of the academic year, reprising this aspiration from C. Vann Woodward, Yale historian and author of The Strange Career of Jim Crow (1955), which Martin Luther King, Jr. said was “the historical bible of the Civil Rights Movement.” The purpose of the university is not to make its members feel secure, content,
The purpose of the university — C. Vann Woodward quotation Read More »
On my syllabus: I encourage you to use ChatGPT. It is a powerful new research tool. Anything that enables you to learn faster and become more skillful is to be embraced. At the same time, a tool is not a substitute for your own self-development. As a student, your goal is to acquire as much
My ChatGPT Course Policy Read More »
I will be debating Associate Professor James Orr, Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University (UK). Dr. Orr also headed up the National Conservatism conference held in Westminster, London, May 2023. I will argue for Liberalism and Professor Orr will argue for Conservatism. The debate will be moderated by Konstantin Kisin, whose speech to the Oxford
Debate announcement: Liberalism versus Conservatism Read More »
Reprising this amusing item (via Roger Donway), from a brief obituary in The New York Times, August 2, 1927, page 21: “Emil C. Kant, last German relative of Emmanuel Kant, famous philosopher, was buried in Corozal Cemetery, Canal Zone, yesterday … . While a student at the University of Dorpat, Emil was conscripted by the
Kant’s wayward relative Emil Read More »
Blame and credit are two sides of the evaluative coin. So If I should accept guilt, shame, and be apologetic for bad things in the past, then I should also take credit for the good things. For example: I pride myself on the Industrial Revolution. All that Renaissance painting—I really am amazing. The Constitution of
Should We Apologize for the Past? Read More »
The Greeks, according to Cassius: “They are an arrogant people, I’ve always found. I remember one of them telling me they had invented everything, from gods to sex. I pointed out that Romans took their ideas and improved upon them. Ares became Mars, Zeus became Jupiter. And of course, although we could not improve on
Cassius on Roman versus Greek superiority Read More »
My long-form discussion with Robert Breedlove on the ethics of money, its history and roots in production and trade (and taxation), and the promise of Bitcoin. On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_PEIR9A4TY. Or on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v3632b3-the-philosophy-of-money-with… Related: My podcast on “You Should Love Money,” in the Open College series.
The Philosophy of Money — Breedlove interview Read More »