Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Johnson (1823)

Excerpt: “… The doctrines of Europe, were that men in numerous associations cannot be restrained within the limits of order and justice, except by forces physical and moral wielded over them by authorities independent of their will. Hence their organization of kings, hereditary nobles, and priests …. “[Our goal], on the contrary, was to maintain

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From the Office of the Reproducer-General [press release]

Bulletin: Sex and Economics — A Modest Proposal [pdf] Text by Stephen R.C. Hicks Graphics by Christopher Vaughan Permanent URL Fellow citizens: Our nation’s sex life is in peril. Surveys show widespread sexual discontent. Market failure is everywhere. Many males complain of not getting enough sex and many females object to constant male looks and

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Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand

My “Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand” was published in The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. Here is the abstract for my 43-page study: “Philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand are often identified as strong critics of altruism and arch advocates of egoism. In this essay, Stephen Hicks argues that Nietzsche and Rand have much in

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Marxism and Education: Marx [Lecture 13 of Philosophy of Education course]

By Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University, USA. Lecture 13: What is Karl Marx’s philosophy, and how does it apply to education in a capitalist society and in preparing students for revolutionary social change? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: Introduction: What is the purpose of education, and what is philosophy’s relevance? Part Two:

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How do political cultures change?

Strategy question: Does one plunge into political activism—or will political efforts not be effective until the broader culture is ready for it? A common response is to say “Politics is downstream from culture.” Here is one datum, from Philip Reiff: “[T]he first Christian culture revolution accommodated itself from the beginning to the ruling classes of

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SUBJECTIVE RELATIVISM: AYER and BENEDICT. Lecture 7 of Philosophy of Ethics course [Peterson Academy]

‘“Judgements of value”, we contend, are simply expressions of emotion which can be neither true nor false.‘ Lecture Seven: Subjective Relativism Themes: Anthropology. Meaninglessness (semantic and prescriptive). So subjective leaps? So individual emotivism? So group conditioning? Texts: Ayer, “A Critique of Ethics.” Benedict, Patterns of Culture. About the Instructor Stephen R. C. Hicks, Ph.D. is

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