“The all-destroyer” — was how Moses Mendelssohn described his contemporary Immanuel Kant. For more on the context for Mendelssohn’s strong conclusion, see p. 50 of my Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism from Rousseau to Foucault. Information about other editions and translations is available at this dedicated page.
Moses Mendelssohn in Explaining Postmodernism Read More »
As political winds blow, those whose principles are merely tactics change tack. But it’s especially galling when it’s professional legal and religious experts who reveal themselves so.
On unprincipled political hacks, then and now Read More »
Notes on Punctuation by Lewis Thomas* There are no precise rules about punctuation (Fowler lays out some general advice (as best he can under the complex circumstances of English prose (he points out, for example, that we possess only four stops (the comma, the semicolon, the colon and the period (the question mark and exclamation
“Notes on Punctuation,” by Lewis Thomas Read More »
Inventors Michael Blumenthal Imagine being the first to say: surveillance … – Howard Nemerov “Imagine being the first to say: surveillance,” the mouth taking in air like a swimmer, the tongue light as an astronaut, gliding across the roof of the mouth, the eyes burning like the eyes of Fleming looking at mold
Inventors, by Michael Blumenthal Read More »
I’ll be giving a short talk at my university as part of its Faculty Brown Bag Series: “Was Philosophy Responsible for National Socialism?” My answer will be “Yes,” drawing upon themes from my book Nietzsche and the Nazis. All students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend on Monday, October 1 at 12 p.m. in
Upcoming talk at Rockford University, Brown Bag Series Read More »
1. Socrates deletes his account. 2. Plato posts screenshots of Socrates. 3. Aristotle unfollows Plato. 4. Aquinas retweets Jesus. 5. Descartes mutes Aquinas. 6. Locke mutes Descartes. 7. Kant unfollows Locke and Descartes. 8. Hegel subtweets Kant. 9. Schopenhauer blocks Hegel. 10. Marx likes Hegel. 11. Nietzsche gets hacked. 12. Heidegger DMs Arendt. 13. Adorno
A Brief History of Philosophy — social-media version Read More »
[The following is a translation into Polish of my “Is Republishing Hitler’s *Mein Kampf* the Correct Decision?” Thanks to Professor Piotr Kostyło for making this translation possible.] Czy ponowna publikacja książki Adolfa Hitlera Mein Kampf jest słuszną decyzją? Po długich dekadach obowiązywania zakazu, niemieckie władze wyrażają zgodę na ponowną publikację książki Adolfa Hitlera Mein Kampf.
Polish translation of “Is Republishing Hitler’s Mein Kampf the Correct Decision?” Read More »
Chart 1.3: Defining Pre-modernism, Modernism, and Post-modernism Pre-modernism Modernism Post-modernism Metaphysics Realism: Super-naturalism Realism: Naturalism Anti-realism Epistemology Mysticism and/or faith Objectivism: Experience and reason Social subjectivism Human Nature Original Sin; Subject to God’s will Tabula rasa and autonomy Social construction and conflict Ethics Collectivism: altruism Individualism Collectivism: egalitarianism Politics & Economics Feudalism Liberal
Defining Pre-modernism, Modernism, and Postmodernism [Explaining Postmodernism] Read More »
I’ll be speaking on “Postmodernism: Philosophy and Politics” as part of The Mill Series of lectures at Lafayette College. The series is named for John Stuart Mill, whose On Liberty, especially its second chapter, is essential reading for free speech and liberal education advocates (and their opponents): “He who knows only his own side of
Upcoming talk at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania Read More »
At the Voluntaryist site, Keith Knight asked me seven questions: 1. What is liberal capitalism, and why is it a moral system? 2. What about the poor? What about bleeding-heart libertarianism, and why should poor people favor liberal capitalism? 3. What is wealth, and how can we accurately measure it? 4. What is the Frankfurt
Don’t Tread on Anyone — Keith Knight’s interview with me Read More »