Over the years I’ve enjoyed and learned from many of Carlin Romano’s articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education. He can do good philosophical reporting. So I picked up America the Philosophical, and I was disappointed. Romano’s thesis is that the United States is a nation of vigorous philosophical activity and — contrary to the
Carlin Romano’s America the Philosophical Read More »
Subject: Emanation of Zarathustra… Dear Professor Hicks, I’ve noted in your “Overman” piece: “Nietzsche gives a name to his anticipated overman: He calls him Zarathustra, and he names his greatest literary and philosophical work in his honor. “Zarathustra will be the creative tyrant. Having mastered himself and others, he will exuberantly and energetically command and
I received an email from the Übermensch today Read More »
A medieval clifftop town about an hour north of Rome. Well worth visiting. (Click on image to enlarge.)
Taken on the road, a picture worth 2,300 words in these days of inflation. Click for full size. (Note to self: you’re not in Europe anymore.)
Farm country, Illinois Read More »
Today I walked past a well-groomed old man driving an awesome Jaguar convertible. Jaguars are my favorite sports car, and I felt a twinge of envy. Later at a fast food restaurant, an energetic teenager before me in line was counting out his coins, unsure if he had enough to pay for a cold drink.
A thought about real wealth Read More »
In the Renaissance, there was a lively debate among artists and critics over which art form was the best. Cases were made for and against painting, sculpture, poetry, and music. To my mind, the debate is philosophically silly, but it is a fun and instructive exercise to compare the strengths and limitations of each art
The best art form — architecture version Read More »
My Rockford College philosophy colleague has a new article out in Reason Papers, “Harry Potter and Humanity: Choices, Love, and Death” [pdf]. Here is the entire Volume 34 Reason Papers issue. Professor Klein is also co-editor of the anthology Harry Potter and Philosophy, part of Open Court’s popular culture and philosophy series.
Shawn Klein on Harry Potter Read More »
I’ll be speaking at The Atlas Society’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference theme is “Either-Or: Atlas Shrugged and the Future of Individualism.” The abstract for my talk: Objectivism’s ethical philosophy is highly entrepreneurial, emphasizing initiative, self-responsibility, and self-creation. Consequently, Objectivism’s political philosophy is entrepreneurship-friendly, emphasizing the protection of individual rights necessary for
My TAS talk on “Public Policy, Objectivism, and Entrepreneurship” Read More »