From Jacob Burckhardt’s great The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860): In the Middle Ages, “Man was conscious of himself only as a member of a race, people, party, family, or corporation — only through some general category. In Italy this veil first melted into air; an objective treatment and consideration of the state […]
Individualism, and why I love the Renaissance Read More »
Juxtaposing quotations from Michel Foucault (d. 1984) and Friedrich Nietzsche (d. 1900). First, here is Foucault: “All knowledge rests upon injustice; there is no right, not even in the act of knowing, to truth or a foundation for truth; and the instinct for knowledge is malicious (something murderous, opposed to the happiness of mankind).”[1] Friedrich
Foucault as Nietzschean: on knowledge as injustice Read More »
Professor Stephen Hicks’s public lecture, “Postmodernism and the Verdict of History,” University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, March 9, 2018.
My *Postmodernism and the Verdict of History* public lecture Read More »
The old philosophy question — How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? — has gotten a bad rap.* Yet three important answers contest for dominance: 1. An infinite number of angels can dance on the head of a pin. As purely spiritual beings, angels do not take up physical space, so
So how many angels *can* dance on the head of a pin? Read More »
Romance is in the air, thus my annual reposting of my round-up of philosophers talking to their sweethearts – collected from conversations overheard at smoky cafés, college libraries, mountain caves, and seminar rooms the world over. The Aristotelian: “I wish to marry you, for I know that my happiness, both of body and soul, is
“Should I marry you?” How philosophers answer the big question Read More »
I need to write this up, but here’s my working hypothesis: *Metaphysically*, philosophy was born with Thales and the Milesians. *Epistemologically*, it was born with Parmenides and the Eleatics. The Milesian school began around 600 BCE on the coast of Asia minor. The Eleatic school began around 500 BCE about 1100 kilometers west in the
The *Two* Births of Philosophy Read More »
Here’ s a 46-point overview of Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault, along with the anonymous author’s assessment of his or her agreements and (gasp!) disagreements. The author is a professor at an American university who writes under a pseudonym in response to the current climate of intimidation and reprisal that exists
(Professor) The Mistaken reviews Explaining Postmodernism Read More »
Our discussion is embedded below or at YouTube. Topics discussed: 1:00: The various uses of “postmodern” 3:30: The epistemology of reason in early modern philosophy 4:30: Pomo as a skepticism about reason by mid-1900s 5:00: Individualism in early modern philosophy 7:00: Pomo as a reaction to individualism 7:30: Social-psychological-linguistic determinisms of mid-1900s 10:10: Perception and
Tyler Ashby discussion: Pomo, Perception, and Reason Read More »