Philosophy

Was Nietzsche individualist? Art-versus-individualism version

Nietzsche has a reputation for being an individualist. But note this from his early The Birth of Tragedy: “the subject—the striving individual bent on furthering his egoistic purposes—can be thought of only as the enemy of art, never its source.” Nietzsche’s sometimes-yes-sometimes-not individualism is complicated. For more, check out my “Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand”

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Professor Lentricchia on the use of Power in the Classroom [Pope Lecture Series]

If the pursuit of truth is rejected on postmodern grounds, what replaces it? In this invited lecture, Dr. Hicks surveys key educational ideas from pre-modern times, the modern era, and our post-modern times. Ancient education often stressed discipline, obedience and rule following, while modern thinkers such as Galileo, Locke, and Montaigne stressed independent judgment and

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Michael Robillard interviews Stephen Hicks on Machiavellian postmodernism, the Catholic Right critique of liberalism, and more

I was interviewed by philosopher Michael Robillard, Ph.D.. We covered six questions: 1.) Can you tell us a bit about who you are, as well as your academic background? Did you always want to be or envision yourself as a public intellectual? 2.) In your influential work, Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to

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Education Theory 14: Postmodernism, Foucault, Giroux, and Education

15-lecture series by Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University. Lecture 14: Postmodernism, Foucault, Giroux, and Education: What is postmodern philosophy, and how do the views of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and other postmodernists apply to education in practice? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: Introduction: What is the purpose of education, and what is

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Heine on Kant as the Robespierre of philosophy

In his 1835 work on Religion and Philosophy in Germany, Heinrich Heine makes this strong claim about Immanuel Kant’s philosophy. While many have characterized Kant as fundamentally a man of reason and a paragon of the Enlightenment, Heine suggests otherwise: “But though Immanuel Kant, the arch-destroyer in the realm of thought, far surpassed in terrorism

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Plato, censorship, and “the ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry” excerpt from *The Republic*

Plato on Censorship and “the Ancient Quarrel between Philosophy and Poetry” Excerpt from Book 10 of The Republic. Written 360 B.C.E. [Socrates and Glaucon in conversation]  [Speakers: Socrates and Glaucon in conversation] [Socrates:] Of the many excellences which I perceive in the order of our State, there is none which upon reflection pleases me better

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