The standard claim is that philosophy begins with Thales. When I teach this to my students, it’s a hard sell, for here are the founding texts in philosophy — ascribed to Thales by Aristotle: “The first principle and basic nature of all things is water.” and “All things are full of gods.” You can imagine […]
Why Philosophy Begins with Thales Read More »
A interesting and disturbing article by Professor Piotr Kostyło on “School failure and its interpretations” [pdf], published in Kultura Pedagogiczna out of the University of Warsaw. Kostyło is a professor of philosophy of education at the University of Kazimierz Wielki. Kostyło’s analysis is disturbing because it suggests that Poland’s change from communism to liberal democracy
Kostyło on school failure’s independence of political change Read More »
In the Polish journal Żydzi a konserwatyzm, Joanna Rak reviews Nietzsche and the Nazis. Information about other editions and translations of Nietzsche and the Nazis.
Rak’s review of Nietzsche and the Nazis Read More »
Um cenário que é querido pelos eticistas, especialistas em políticas públicas e consultores em geral, pede que você se imagine em um bote salva-vidas. Nesses cenários estão inseridas suposições poderosas com implicações de vida ou morte, portanto, é interessante estuda-lo para compreendermos melhor do que se trata. Aqui vamos nós: Você estava sobrevoando o Oceano
A ética do bote salva-vidas, escassez e conflitos Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “An ancient myth tells of a poor young man who found a magical ring. The young man’s name was Gyges. He was a shepherd, responsible for tending his village’s sheep as they grazed in the summer meadows away in the hills. His job was lonely, poorly paid,
Are We Too Wicked for Freedom? [new The Good Life column] Read More »
Which philosopher writes the most mind-numbingly long sentences? Ken Brown sends in a new contender — a 179 word-marathon from John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism: “But inasmuch as the cultivation in ourselves of a sensitive feeling on the subject of veracity, is one of the most useful, and the enfeeblement of that feeling one of the
New addition in Philosophy’s Longest Sentences competition Read More »
Em colunas anteriores, tratamos sobre sexo e dinheiro. Agora, vamos falar de poder. Assim como o sexo e o dinheiro — e a maioria das coisas importantes da vida — muitas bobagens são ditas sobre o poder. Talvez a principal de todas elas seja a frase frequentemente citada “o poder corrompe, e o poder absoluto corrompe absolutamente”. Através de
O poder não corrompe — o caráter é o que realmente importa Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Romance is in the air, and even the lovers of wisdom are not immune from its allure. “So here is a round-up of philosophers talking to their sweethearts – collected from conversations overheard at smoky cafés, college libraries, mountain paths, and seminar rooms the world over. The Aristotelian: “I
“Should I Marry You?” Answers From the Philosophers [new The Good Life column] Read More »