The philosopher René Descartes in 1633: “I inquired in Leiden and Amsterdam whether Galileo’s World System was available, for I thought I’d heard that it was published in Italy last year. I was told that it had indeed been published but that all the copies had immediately been burnt at Rome, and that Galileo had […]
Descartes’ reaction to Galileo’s conviction Read More »
Religious zealotry, political intolerance, and the precarious status of free-thinkers. In Aeon magazine, a strong essay worth reading again by Steven Nadler on “Why Spinoza Still Matters.” At a time when Americans seem willing to bargain away their freedoms for security, when politicians talk of banning people of a certain faith from our shores, and
Why Spinoza still matters Read More »
At Smithsonian Magazine, an eye-opening piece on government-propaganda history. And as government’s acquired powers and bureaucracies tend to persist and grow, the precedent set by Wilson is still with us. Writes professor of journalism Christopher Daly: “The full bundle of techniques pioneered by Wilson during the Great War were updated and used by later presidents
Woodrow Wilson’s 1917 “Ministry of Information” Read More »
In the religious wars of the16th and 17th centuries, persecution, torture, and killing were widespread. Yet out of that ugliness we learned, morally, that tolerating others’ mistaken views is essential and, politically, that individuals must be free to think, learn, and act. We learned to live and let live in regular life, and we learned
Re-learning tolerance, 21st century version Read More »
Topics and Times: What a meaningful life requires: [00:00 — 03:31] Far left and far right on metaphysics, human nature, and ethics [03:31 — 10:35] Walt Whitman quotation [09:28 — 10:35] Why the authoritarian left [10:35 — 13:53] Advertisement: StephenHicks.org [13:53 — 14:46] How we got to where we are now [14:46 — 45:19] The
Free Speech: Why the *Philosophy* Matters [Open College transcript] Read More »
We’re now posting serially at thinkspot the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the first: OC1: Free Speech: Why the Philosophy Matters: “To say that Free Speech *Is* Free Thought *Is* Free Action is a rhetorical overstatement, but its purpose is to emphasize the integration of thought, speech, and action. …” Audio versions of
Free Speech: Why the *Philosophy* Matters [OC transcription] Read More »
Around the world, which universities protect and encourage free thinking? A new index summarizes the data to date, with (interestingly) the USA and Australia left gray due to “Insufficient Data.” Inside Higher Ed has some journalism on the project.
Academic Freedom in universities — new index Read More »
An hour and twenty minute conversation I had with Benjamin Boyce about the Evergreen protests and their roots in postmodernism.
Postmodern Monsters: My conversation with Benajmin Boyce Read More »