I was struck by this reflection on the history of philosophy, made by Adolf Hitler, who read voraciously when young and especially during his prison time in the 1920s: “In the Great Hall of the Linz Library are the busts of Kant, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, the greatest of our thinkers, in comparison with whom the […]
On Hitler’s degree of intellectualism Read More »
Will Altman: “It is perfectly natural to feel loyalty to the thinker who set you to thinking, to the writer whose writings first made you a careful and devoted reader, and whose example inspired your own way of life as a philosopher.” Altman’s words appear in the concluding chapter of his book on Martin Heidegger,
Loyalty to your first great intellectual love Read More »
My essay “Virtue, Entrepreneurial Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility” has been published in Virtue in Entrepreneurship, edited by Nils Karlson, Mikolaj Norek, and Karl Wennberg (Stockholm: Ratio Institute, 2015). Other contributors include Deirdre McCloskey, Eugene Heath, Art Carden, Lynette Osiemo, Robert Gemmel, David Lipka, Elina Fergin, and Rasmus Nykvist. The book is available in Sweden
*Virtues in Entrepreneurship* anthology published by Ratio Institute Read More »
[I wrote the following in 1999 in response to several people who wrote to me with objections to my and others’ use of The Will to Power in interpreting Nietzsche.] Dear [ ]: Every word in The Will to Power was written by Nietzsche in his notebooks of 1883-1888. Some of the notes were his
On the legitimacy of Nietzsche’s *The Will to Power* Read More »
A commentator at my site objects to my discussion of Existentialism and the meaning of life: “In all honesty this is just a bunch of JibJab with really no actual true meaning funny how people waste years and thousands studying this irrelevant b***** go out side be outdoors live a little bit” The Urban Dictionary
Philosophy as a bunch of jibjab Read More »
Tempos difíceis para a liberdade de expressão. Há um século, a Alemanha era uma nação autoritária. O Kaiser Guilherme II estava presidindo as forças da nação na 1º Guerra Mundial, enquanto o jovem Adolf Hitler estava trabalhando para ser ele o comandante das forças da nação na 2ª Guerra Mundial. Ao mesmo tempo, a Grã-Bretanha
A liberdade de expressão está morta nas universidades? [Portuguese translation] Read More »
As autoridades alemãs permitirão a reimpressão da obra Mein Kampf (tradução oficial, Minha Luta) de Adolf Hitler, após décadas de censura. Pessoas decentes podem argumentar que o livro é muito perigoso para ser publicado. Mas o fato é que Mein Kampf é muito perigoso para não ser publicado. O grande medo é que as ideias de Hitler não estejam mortas e que seu livro
Republicar “Mein Kampf” é a decisão correta? [Portuguese translation] Read More »
I recommend this strong piece by Nick Cohen in Standpoint magazine out of Britain, on the downward spiral of the anti-free-speech movement. Related: Three of my recent pieces on the state of free speech: * On the German decision: “Is Republishing Hitler’s Mein Kampf the Correct Decision?“ (Portuguese translation.) * On censorship in British universities:
Nick Cohen on how PC is devouring its own Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Many smart people — including Thomas Friedman in The New York Times, Naser Khader in Newsweek, John Lloyd in The Jerusalem Post, Ayann Hirsi Ali in The Wall Street Journal — are hoping that the Reformation will come to Islam. Some are calling for an Islamic Martin Luther. “Sorry, but no. Islam needs reforming but definitely not a Reformation. “The history matters here, so consider
No Reformation for Islam, Please [new The Good Life column] Read More »
Um antigo mito fala de um jovem pobre que encontrou um anel mágico. Seu nome era Giges. Ele era um pastor, responsável por apascentar as ovelhas do vilarejo enquanto pastavam nas colinas. Seu trabalho era solitário, mal pago, e na maioria das vezes, ele cheirava a ovelha. Certo dia, em uma caverna, Giges encontrou um
Somos perversos demais para a liberdade? Read More »