I’ve long respected the ancient Greeks for their earthy approach to religion, with their many gods and goddesses representing human concerns: hygiene, fertility, reason, technology, hunting, war, and so on. And of course Dionysos — you have to admire a culture that has a god for drinking and partying. New to me is the Roman […]
Important new gods — Sterculius Read More »
I’m featured in Toronto’s Metro Canada newspaper’s “Defining Free Speech on Campus,” (page 9) as one of three perspectives on the current suppression/censorship versus tolerance/liberalism antagonisms. The other two participants are Denio Lourenco and Zachary Strong, who take opposite stances on University of Toronto’s Jordan Peterson. Metro reporter Genna Buck did the interviews and compiled
Featured in Canada’s *Metro* — free speech on campus Read More »
Dr. Laura Grube is a guest speaker in my Business and Economic Ethics class today. She became Assistant Professor of Economics at Beloit College in Wisconsin after receiving her Ph.D. from George Mason University. Before that she was a Fulbright Student in South Africa and worked as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting and senior
Laura Grube, CEE guest speaker Read More »
The biographer of Nobel Peace prize-winning (and Rockford University graduate) Jane Addams recounts this incident, in which Addams invokes Kantian duty-ethic in response to a friend’s desire for some gratitude in response to her charitable works: “Her wealthy friends like Louise deKoven Bowen [1859-1953] viewed gratitude for their good work as the only payment they
Jane Addams and Ellsworth Toohey Read More »
In a letter to Karl Löwith, Leo Strauss wrote: “Nietzsche so dominated and charmed me between my 22nd and 30th years that I literally believed everything I understood of him.” My question about Strauss is whether (a) he later really abandoned Nietzsche or (b) his professed rejection of Nietzsche is a Platonic noble lie. I
The young Leo Strauss on Nietzsche Read More »
When Nazi Germany and fascist Italy were defeated, the great historical question was: Will liberalism or socialism prevail in the world? The ensuing mix of cold and hot wars and ideological battles reached their climax in our generation — with the fallout from the Soviet Union’s collapse, the enduring sadness of Cuba, the ongoing mess
Our generation’s question: Liberalism or Fascism or Socialism? Read More »
Matt Zwolinski and I have a friendly debate about several technical, foundational issues in Rand’s theory of rights: Can rights be based on egoism? What’s the connection between property rights and value creation? What counts as an improper initiation of force? Several other sub-issues about content and method arise along the way. In about 750 words each,
Zwolinski and Hicks on Rand and rights theory Read More »
Without comment, I offer this excerpt from the Gospel of Thomas (114): Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life.” Jesus said, “Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself
Jesus and transgenderism Read More »