For use in my courses, additions to my Texts in Philosophy page. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Notes from the Underground (1864). Thomas Hobbes, “Of the Difference of Manners,” from Leviathan (1651). John Hospers, “Justice versus Social Justice” (1985). Elbert Hubbard, “A Message to Garcia” (1914). David Ross, “The London Plague of 1665” (no date). Thucydides, “Pericles’ Funeral Oration,” from […]
Texts in Philosophy — late-2020 additions Read More »
Ignasi Boltó, a.k.a. the Spanish Libertarian, asked me eleven questions for his YouTube channel. Here is the transcript: Ignasi Bolto: Hello, friends from the internet. It’s Ignasi from Spanish Libertarian. Today we’re making another interview in English. I know most of you usually speak in Spanish, but we also like to give content in other language. Also,
We’re posting the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Most are available only to subscribers, but here for the holiday season is the thirtieth, on Scrooge’s hero’s journey: To speak of pride, friendship, liberality, and an overarching wisdom about how they all contribute to a fully self-realized life—all of that is to make Dickens’s Scrooge
The Real Scrooge [Open College transcripts] Read More »
We’re now posting serially at thinkspot the notes and transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the twentieth: Newly-engineered materials and robotics have made the physical experiences closer to the real thing, and artificial intelligence has enabled the robots to respond verbally and non-verbally more realistically. Perhaps robots will soon be able to pass sex-and-romance
Sex Dolls — Why Not? [Open College transcript] Read More »
Matt Talley: “I recently finished Explaining Postmodernism by Stephen Hicks. I had heard some really negative remarks from a few FB friends so I was curious to see how they held up after reading the book myself.” The comments after Talley’s review are worth reading too. See also my Open College response to two sets
Talley’s review of Explaining Pomo — and its negative critics Read More »
Be not deceived by apparent progress: systemic witchcraft still plagues our society. In December 1484, the Pope issued the “Witches Bull,” sanctioning the “correcting, imprisoning, punishing and chastising” of witches: “Many persons of both sexes … have abandoned themselves to devils, incubi and succubi, and by their incantations, spells, conjurations, and other accursed charms and
Today’s systemic witch-hunters Read More »
We’re now posting serially at thinkspot the notes and transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the nineteenth: Professor Henry Louis Gates, Chair of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University wrote: “without complex business partnerships between African elites and European traders and commercial agents, the slave trade to the New World would have been
The Stain of Slavery [Open College notes] Read More »
We’re now posting serially at thinkspot the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the eighteenth: Jordan Peterson: “Your book Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault in particular has been quite controversial, so I thought we’d start with that …” Audio versions of the podcast are available free at my website, YouTube,
A Conversation with Dr. Jordan Peterson [Open College transcripts] Read More »