One regularly reads or hears condemnations of the power of business corporations in the modern world. So let’s think about the nature of power. Witness Warren Buffett. Buffett is currently the sixth richest man in the world and head of the powerhouse Berkshire Hathaway corporation. I’m not a fan of his political or economic views, […]
Anecdote: Warren Buffett and the power of corporations Read More »
Update: Thanks to sponsor generosity, some travel stipends for students now available. A five-day seminar this summer; June 24-28 at the University of Illinois, Springfield, on the philosophy originated by Ayn Rand. Join professors William Kline (Business), Carrie-Ann Biondi (Philosophy), Richard Salsman (Politics and Economics), and me (Philosophy). We will give three talks each and
Week-long seminar on Ayn Rand & Objectivism, at University of Illinois, Springfield Read More »
“By the mid-fifteenth century crimes subject to the death penalty … included the following: rebellion, fraud, bigamy, incest, arson, theft, adultery, carrying off a woman against her will, blasphemy, moving signs of property boundaries, attacking someone, high treason, child murder, using dishonest weights and measures, murder, counterfeiting, rape, attempted suicide, striking someone to death, converting
The death penalty in fifteenth-century Europe Read More »
My short essay on “What Business Ethics Can Learn from Entrepreneurship” [pdf] was published in the Journal of Private Enterprise in 2009, just when entrepreneurism was beginning to get attention in the business ethics literature. The abstract: “Entrepreneurship is increasingly studied as a fundamental and foundational economic phenomenon. It has, however, received less attention as
“What Business Ethics Can Learn from Entrepreneurship” — text and audio versions Read More »
Reprising this amusing jibe at the great conductor Herbert von Karajan, whose perfectionism and sometimes-authoritarian leadership style could cause enmity. “St. Peter calls upon Freud and tells him that God is evidently in need of psychiatric help. ‘I should be glad to help, but tell me, what seem to be His symptoms?’ asked Freud. ‘God
Humor: Herbert von Karajan and God Read More »
For comparison purposes, two artists’ views: Related:
Two portraits of Charles Read More »
Anecdote: I gave an extra-credit assignment in one of my courses. The course had twenty students, eleven men and nine women. Six students chose to do the assignment — and then I noticed something in my grade book: all of them were women. Getting all statistic-y about it: 66.7% of the females were willing to
Women’s and men’s college graduation rates Read More »
Reposting this question: In this post-colonial era, what explains the dramatically different levels of prosperity in nations after they become independent of their colonizing powers? Why, for example, has the prosperity of North America been consistently higher than that of Central and South America? Both are rich in natural resources, both involve nations started from scratch,
Empires of conquest and empires of commerce Read More »