Theist vs. Atheist — What Should You Believe? John C. Wright and I have completed our series of articles debating key issues in religion. The full seven-round series is available at EveryJoe.com’s dedicated page and here at my Theist vs. Atheist page. Translations into Portuguese are forthcoming. Here is the Table of Contents with links […]
The full Theist vs. Atheist debate series Read More »
In June I participated in a discussion on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “The Current” radio program, which according to its website is “Canada’s Most Listened-to Radio Program.” The topic was whether power corrupts. The journalistic context included the recent FIFA scandal, scandals in the Canadian Senate, and the ongoing scandals in politics, business, and so on around the world.
CBC discussion of corruption and power — audio Read More »
In my Introduction to Philosophy course this week we are reading and discussing The Fountainhead, a great novel on the themes of independence and integrity. In Part One, Rand’s primary purpose is to contrast the characters Howard Roark and Peter Keating. Here is a table (click to enlarge) summarizing the main events in each young
The Fountainhead (Introduction to Philosophy this week) Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Many people complain about how education has become so expensive. Mostly, they are wrong. “Schooling has become more expensive, but consider the cost of the following awesome education resources: Khan Academy for learning math: Free. Louvre Online for experiencing and studying art history: Free. Google Translate for
Is Education Really Too Expensive? [new The Good Life column] Read More »
Para a resolução de casos complexos como a dívida grega, a melhor forma dá-se inicialmente por meio da reflexão sobre casos mais simples. Todos os lados da discussão estão apelando para considerações morais sobre responsabilidade, justiça e prudência. Parte do debate trata do significado de tais princípios. Uma parte intimamente ligada ao debate envolve distinguir
Sobre a dívida grega e fazer o que é moral [Portuguese translation] Read More »
On Wednesday I will give a talk at FRI’s first North American event. Gloria Alvarez (Guatemala), José Benegas (Argentina), Marsha Enright (USA), Eduardo Marty (Argentina), Warren Orbaugh (Guatemala), and I will be participating. My topic will be “Progress and Betrayal: The Responsibilities of Intellectuals.” One theme of my talk is drawn from my recent column,
FRI’s one-day conference in Miami, September 16 Read More »
[This week in my Introduction to Philosophy course, we are reading Crito and discussing whether Socrates should escape or accept his death sentence. Here is a revisiting of an earlier post.] Socrates’ two bad arguments for not escaping In the Crito, Socrates is in prison awaiting execution for impiety and corrupting the youth. His impiety
Socrates in jail — escape or not? Read More »
More on philosophers’ mind-numbingly long sentences. My initial post with my top candidates is here. Kazuma Kitamura sends in a new contender — a 175 word plea from Chapter One of John Stuart Mill’s The Subjection of Women: “If the authority of men over women, when first established, had been the result of a conscientious
Updating the Philosophy’s Longest Sentences competition Read More »
In my Philosophy of Religion course, this week we are reading excerpts from the Koran and Seyyid Qutb’s influential Milestones. The Koran has many bloodthirsty passages as well as many suggesting qualified live-and-let-live policies. So we take up the question of whether Islam is essentially a religion of violence or peace. Qutb offered an influential
Seyyid Qutb and Islamism this week Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “What explains the dramatic differences in economic performance between the two Americas? “Take some World Bank GDP numbers — one measure of economic success. We want people to make an adequate living, especially poor people who are struggling. And if we are ambitious, we want people to live
Comparing North and Latin American Economic Performance [new The Good Life column] Read More »