Objectivism is a philosophy. Ayn Rand said that philosophy is a science: “Epistemology is a science devoted to the discovery of the proper methods of acquiring and validating knowledge. Ethics is a science devoted to the discovery of the proper methods of living one’s life. Medicine is a science devoted to the discovery of the […]
Open Objectivism or Closed? Philosophy as *science* Read More »
Modernist art rejects representation in art often contemptuously, calling it “non-art” or “kitsch.” Why? Partly it’s the influence of philosopher Immanuel Kant. In his famous Critique of Judgment, in which he calls “sublime” the Hebrew Scripture passage “Thou shalt make no graven images.” I discuss Kant’s general philosophy, his philosophy of art, and his influence
Why “Abstract” Art rejects Figurative Art Read More »
Question:In 200 words, what is the argument of Stephen Hicks’s book Explaining Postmodernism? ChatGPT: Stephen Hicks’s book “Explaining Postmodernism” argues that postmodernism, a cultural and academic movement that emerged in the late 20th century, represents a radical break with the rationalist and humanist traditions of modernity. According to Hicks, postmodernism is characterized by a rejection
ChatGPT on *Explaining Postmodernism* in 200 words Read More »
Question:In 200 words, what is the argument of Stephen Hicks’s book Nietzsche and the Nazis? ChatGPT: Stephen Hicks’s book Nietzsche and the Nazis argues that there is a direct connection between the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and the rise of Nazi ideology in Germany. Hicks argues that the Nazis were heavily influenced by Nietzsche’s ideas,
Chat GPT on *Nietzsche and the Nazis* in 200 words Read More »
Reprising this awesome quotation from Romain Rolland on Beethoven’s response to his great obstacles: The hammer is not all: the anvil also is necessary. Had destiny descended only upon some weakling, or on an imitation great man, and bent his back under this burden, there would have been no tragedy in it, only an everyday
Romain Rolland on Beethoven’s response to his deafness and depression Read More »
Let it be the Second Preface to his Critique of Pure Reason. CPR is Kant’s foundational and most important work. Yet it’s long and complicated. When he published the second edition in 1787, he took pains to write a new preface outlining his main conclusions, his reasons for them, and their key implications for future
If you read only one thing by Immanuel Kant Read More »
Reprising this intriguing passage from Berel Dov Lerner’s review of Moshe Halbertal’s On Sacrifice (2012): ‘Halbertal claims that despite all its transcendent glory, adoption of the notion of “sacrifice for” can generate especially terrible consequences: “misguided self-transcendence is morally more problematic and lethal than a disproportionate attachment to self-interest” (78, italics in original). How does
Self-sacrifice as more threatening than self-interest Read More »
The nationalistic Right and the identity-politics Left share a collectivist, irrationalist, adversarial approach to culture and politics. Classically liberal individualism is a third and fundamentally distinct approach. Stephen Hicks, Professor of Philosophy (USA) and John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister (Australia) discuss. Full interview here. Related: Stephen Hicks on the intellectual roots political correctness, Woke
The culture wars are a 3-way, not 2-way, battle— one-minute clip from Australia Read More »