On who holds the real power: “I should like merely to understand how it happens that so many men, so many villages, so many cities, so many nations, sometimes suffer under a single tyrant who has no other power than the power they give him.” That’s from Etienne de la Boétie (1530-1563) in his Discourse […]
Voluntary submission to authority Read More »
Stephen R. C. Hicks Traducido al Español por Fermín Elizalde. Navegar en la red y otros lugares es una manera fácil de identificar el conservadurismo con políticas de libre mercado. Se propone una política de liberalización económica, los periodistas la etiquetarán como una política “conservadora” y los comentaristas, dependiendo de su origen, lamentarán o celebrarán
Los Conservadores *NO* Son Capitalistas de Libre-Mercado Read More »
A new Current Events feature at TASA — a monthly one-hour discussion by philosopher David Kelley, economist Richard Salsman, and me. We’ll cover three headlines-that-week events. This time: one-year anniversary of lockdown politics, another $1.9 trillion of debt and fake labeling, the cancel-versus-liberal culture. Youtube.
“I intend to live forever. So far, so good.” More from Steven Wright.
A problem of induction — humor Read More »
One reason why the wokist/p.c.-conformists are dangerous. Mill in 1859: The amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time. Source: Chapter 3 of On Liberty
John Stuart Mill on eccentrics Read More »
John Searle reports this conversation with Michel Foucault about deconstructionist Jacques Derrida: ‘You can hardly misread him, because he’s so obscure. Every time you say, “He says so and so,” he always says, “You misunderstood me.” But if you try to figure out the correct interpretation, then that’s not so easy. I once said this
Derrida, according to Searle and Foucault Read More »
I’m starting a list of now-common fallacies. Not all of their labels are original to me. Argumentum ad Sneerium (definition): The fallacious tactic of substituting derision or disdain for responsive argument. Argumentum ex Rectum: The practice of arguing by pulling ‘facts’ out of one’s ass and shoving them insincerely into a debate. Alternative definition: Making shit
Informal fallacies — pomo and wokist versions Read More »
“Because there is no time for thinking and no rest in thinking, we no longer weigh divergent views; we’re content to hate them.” (Human All-Too-Human, (1878), section 282) Certainly an apt diagnosis of some sub-cultures on social media. A different translation is available at this Project Gutenberg edition of HATH.
Nietzsche predicted the social-media haters Read More »