University of Maryland historian Holly Brewer’s very good overview of Locke’s role in English slavery in the mid-1600s and his philosophical opposition as developed by the 1680s: “Slavery-entangled philosophy.” John Locke took part in administering the slave-owning colonies. Does that make him, and liberalism itself, hypocritical? Related: My other posts on Locke. “The Stain of […]
I was a guest, along with the excellent Marian Tupy, on the TASA show hosted by Jennifer Grossman. We discuss the origins of Cato’s Human Progress project, how we entered the Age of Abundance, social media and the patience needed to deal with online brutalism, the many positive social indicators of modernity, whether optimism vs.
Marian Tupy (Cato), Jennifer Grossman (TAS), and I on human progress Read More »
In preparation for my Saturday livestream lecture at thinkspot (Slavery: Who Deserves *Credit* for Ending It), here’s a sobering-but-fascinating three-minute animated video of where the slaves went. URL: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_history_of_american_slavery/2015/06/animated_interactive_of_the_history_of_the_atlantic_slave_trade.html Information about Saturday: The horrors of slavery get much deserved attention, and slavery’s legacy remains as an important lesson — as well as a contentious feeder
Where the Slaves Went — transatlantic animation Read More »
A very good video lecture by TIK introducing the philosophy of history: * How did history develop as a discipline? * What are historical facts? What does truth mean for historians? * Can history be objective? * Is history more an art or a science? * What explains the contemporary attacks on history by postmodern
“History Theory: What is History? No seriously, what is it?” Read More »
A new episode of my podcast series, produced by Possibly Correct out of Toronto. Conservative nationalist Yoram Hazony makes eight claims about the Enlightenment. One is mostly true, and seven are badly false or are grains of truth badly exaggerated. Audio: Youtube. Soundcloud. Transcription: Will be available soon. Sources: Yoram Hazony, “What Was the Enlightenment?” Prager
Hazony Attacks the Enlightenment [Open College] Read More »
Two key excerpts from a 2019 European Parliament resolution, 80 years after the start of WW II: “B. whereas 80 years ago on 23 August 1939, the communist Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a Treaty of Non-Aggression, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and its secret protocols, dividing Europe and the territories of independent states
On the alliance of Communists and Nazis, 80 years later Read More »
I’m happy to see this review online now. Bronowski was one of my heroes when young, and Sandefur has written a first-rate biography.
On Jacob Bronowski Read More »
I am in Las Vegas today and looking forward to participating in this three-way panel discussion and debate: It was the notion of “Manifest Destiny” that led to the very existence of the Wild West in America’s history. Inherent was the idea that expansion into the American west by settlers was not only inevitable but
“Manifest Destiny” panel today at FreedomFest Read More »