The modern West is hybrid civilization, drawing upon competing ethical traditions from Greco-Roman culture and Judeo-Christian religion. Professor Hicks illustrates the contrast by means of a thought-experiment survey about the Declaration of Independence and Priests’ Vows. This is from Part 5 of his Philosophy of Education course. Clips 1-3: Previous: Six questions in ethics. Next: […]
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Click any thumbnail image for the full size. The cover: Section 22 picture of Nietzsche: “Father Stephen” in Section 25: Friedrich Nietzsche and Adolf Hitler juxtaposed, Section 20: Section 33 table contrasting Nietzsche with the National Socialists: Stephen Hicks in the conclusion, Section 41: Seven Nietzschean themes, Section 39: Hitler Youth poster from Section 14:
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Not a perfect analogy, but a disturbing anecdote and an intriguing comparison: “Some of the savage nations in North America tie four boards round the heads of their children, and thus squeeze them, while the bones are tender and gristly, into a form that is almost perfectly square. Europeans are astonished at the absurd barbarity
Adam Smith on slaves to fashion Read More »
[This is Section 40 of Nietzsche and the Nazis.] Part 8. Conclusion: Nazi and Anti-Nazi Philosophies 40. Hindsight and future resolve We know from historical hindsight that it took a world war to defeat the Nazis. Tens of millions of human beings died in that war. Actual human beings who lived, loved, cried, had dreams—and
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[This is Section 41 of Nietzsche and the Nazis.] 41. Principled anti-Nazism Philosophically and politically, the Nazis stood for five major principles: They stood for collectivism, for instinct and passion, for war and conflict, for authoritarianism, and for socialism. National Socialist Principles: Collectivism Instinct, passion, “blood” War and zero-sum conflict Authoritarianism Socialism That means we
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Baader-Meinhof was a far Left terrorist group, and one of the most violent, killing dozens and maiming more during the 1970s. Its “official” name was Rote Armee Fraktion (“Red Army Faction”). The logo shows a nice big socialist red star with a Heckler Koch submachine gun. The group’s two most prominent members were Andreas Baader
Marxism = Nazism (another datum) Read More »
While the world watched France’s revolution, an equally important cultural phenomenon was occurring across the Rhine: “In the year 1789 … nothing else was talked of in Germany but the philosophy of Kant, about which were poured forth in abundance commentaries, chrestomathies, interpretations, estimates, apologies, and so forth.” That’s Heinrich Heine, who also wrote, “Our
[This is Section 36 of Nietzsche and the Nazis.] 36. Instinct, passion, and anti-reason Hitler was fond of saying, in private, “What luck that men do not think.” Another significant point of agreement exists between Nietzsche and the Nazis: Both agree that the great conflicts will not be solved rationally, through the processes of discussion,
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