Philosophy

The flip side to “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” is “Those who do learn from history can duplicate its successes.” Five propositions about the Middle East: 1. The Middle East now is like Europe 500 years ago—a mix of religious hatreds, ethnic rivalries, national conflicts, cycles of revenge—along

Exhibit A: Suppose one is studying Plato’s philosophy and encounters this question: Are the Forms to be taken as metaphysical realities or as rhetorical devices? One notes that for years scholars have informally discussed the issue. A formal debate is then proposed. Immediately, one observes this among some Platonists: 1.This should not be debated! Plato

The last line of Camus’s famous essay is: “We must imagine Sisyphus happy.” But why must we? He is condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, repeatedly. What pointless exertion. What futility. Just like most people’s lives. Here is my reading of Camus’s classic text, with explanation: Related: The full Philosophers, Explained series, including

Who are the great philosophers, and what makes them great? This Episode: A close reading of Mill’s classic argument for robust free speech. The full playlist. Includes: About the Professor: Stephen R. C. Hicks, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, USA, and has had visiting positions at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., the