The Black Plague of 1665 and the Lord Mayor of London: In 1665 the plague came to London. They called it the “Black Death”—black because of the color of the nasty lumps that signaled its presence in the victim’s body, and death because of the invariable result. The plague germs were carried by fleas that […]
The Black Plague, and a political cautionary tale 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 »
Let me tell you a bed-time story that involves humans and gods and present a philosophical question dating back a few thousand of years: The story of Arachne and Athena …
Arachne vs. Athena: Moral Philosophy Begins [Open College podcast] Read More »
Two documents. Which is real? And now the original: [Lenin quotation source.] Raw text versions follow: 1. Press Release: People of Color and Gender Equality Working Group For our racist and sexist society, freedom of speech means freedom for whites and males to control the media, a practice which in all countries, including even the
Press Release: People of Color and Gender Equality Working Group Read More »
We’re now posting serially at thinkspot the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the seventeenth: C. S. Lewis said forthrightly: “A Christian society would be what we now call Leftist.” If we were to imagine, he asks us, a real Christian society, we would see that “its economic life was very socialistic.” Audio versions of
Christian Socialism and C. S. Lewis [Open College transcript] Read More »
I’ll be speaking (by Zoom) at the Media Entrepreneurial Marathon today (November 21, 2020) at 9:30 Central Time. The conference is sponsored by a large group of Latin American idea and entrepreneurship organizations committed to creative and business freedom. Related: How great artists become great: Liszt. Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Beethoven. Creative geniuses as selfish: Maria
Artists Need Free Minds and Free Markets [Colombia talk] Read More »
The Homestead Riot of 1892 was a watershed event in American business history. At the Homestead Steel Works near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, union leaders and workers rejected wage cuts proposed by owner Andrew Carnegie and plant manager Henry Frick. Negotiations failed, a strike began, the plant was closed, workers armed themselves, Pinkerton security forces were called
Rioting over the truly important things in life Read More »
We’re now posting serially at thinkspot the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the sixteenth: Socialism is partly an ethos, and partly it’s politics. The ethos is that you belong to a social unit, not an individual self; your allegiance, your values, and in some cases, your identity comes from being a part of
Stephen Hicks Interview with Glenn Beck [Open College transcript] Read More »