Plato argued that there’s a perennial quarrel between poetry and philosophy.* Now science argues that the poets may have an edge in the dating market. If I understand this phenomenon correctly: * The poet says: Your beauty, so like a red, red rose, thrills my core with longing. * The philosopher says: Your functional properties […]
Do poets or philosophers romance better? Read More »
Some items from the 2017 Index of Economic Freedom that stood out to me: * USA falls from 11th to 17th. * United Arab Emirates rises from 25th to 8th. * Chile falls from 7th to 10th. * Argentina rises from 169th to 156th. * Poland falls slightly from 42nd to 45th. * Guatemala rises
The 2017 Index of Economic Freedom is out Read More »
Romance is in the air, so here is a repost of my round-up of philosophers talking to their sweethearts – collected from conversations overheard at smoky cafés, college libraries, mountain caves, and seminar rooms the world over. The Aristotelian: “I wish to marry you, for I know that my happiness, both of body and soul,
“Should I marry you?” How philosophers answer Read More »
[Kant died on February 12 in 1804.] Duty, not inclination: “Now an action done from duty must wholly exclude the influence of inclination and with it every object of the will, so that nothing remains which can determine the will except objectively the law, and subjectively pure respect for this practical law, and consequently the
Kant on what makes one morally worthy Read More »
[I can’t remember where I saw a variation of this posted online.] You’re driving through a remote desert on your motorcycle and come across three stranded people. Your motorcycle can carry only one additional person. The three stranded people? An old woman who needs a hospital, your best friend who saved your life, and the
Life and death desert scenario — dark humor Read More »
I haven’t read it yet, but this is a great idea for a book: Arguments for Liberty, edited by Aaron Ross Powell and Grant Babcock. Published by Cato in 2016, the volume collects nine essays by nine scholars, each arguing for liberty from a different philosophical perspective. I expect that this volume is meant to
*Arguments for Liberty* by Powell and Babcock Read More »
At TRI, my short article “Trump’s Corruption Mandate” begins this way: “Donald Trump’s astonishing election victory was in part a backlash against increasingly corrupt American politics. “Transparency International publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking all nations from most to least clean in their political conduct. The United States entered the twenty-first century by falling
Trump’s Corruption Mandate Read More »
Reading postmodern history can be frustrating, with its philosophical antipathy to facts and truth and its ideological priors. Here’s an example — Jean-François Lyotard on the rise of authoritarianism: Saddam Hussein is a product of Western departments of state and big companies, just as Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco were born of the ‘peace’ imposed on
Correcting postmodern history — imperialist version Read More »