In the wake of a recent wave of controversial thinkers being disinvited* from universities, here is a classic quotation from Yale historian C. Vann Woodward on true education: “The purpose of the university is not to make its members feel secure, content, or good about themselves, but to provide a forum for the new, the […]
Real education — Woodward versus Brandeis and Azusa Pacific universities Read More »
With much thanks to Matheus Pacini for his work on the transcription, below is the text for my “13 arguments for liberal capitalism in 13 minutes.” The original videos are at YouTube. The graphic integration of the arguments in a flowchart is here. And here’s the transcript in PDF. 13 Arguments for Liberal Capitalism in
Transcript of “13 arguments for liberal capitalism in 13 minutes” Read More »
Abstract for my talk at the upcoming APEE conference in Las Vegas: “Is Freedom a Subjective Value? Stephen Hicks Some economists speak of subjective value, by which they mean that value does not inhere in objects but rather is a function of the individual. Different individuals, for example, are willing to pay very different amounts
Is Freedom a Subjective Value? Upcoming APEE talk Read More »
Finished my taxes this year. Such joy. Along the way I noted that in the US tax code, investment income is categorized as “unearned income”. An agricultural analogy: You plant a seed and watch it grow. You pick the fruit and eat it. You’ve just enjoyed an “unearned meal.” [The cartoon is from here.]
“Unearned income” in the US tax code Read More »
In this 21-minute video lecture, Entrepreneurship and Virtue Ethics, I connect the success traits of entrepreneurs (e.g., initiative, guts, win-win trade, and so on) with moral virtues (e.g., integrity, courage, justice, and so on). My thesis is that what is practical in business and what is moral are tightly integrated — in contrast to the
Entrepreneurship and Virtue Ethics Read More »
Design idea for a watch: It has no numbers or hands. It has only text saying Time has no meaning. It is sold in both jewel-encrusted and cheap knock-off versions. I do not make them myself. I license manufacturers in Asia and distributors in Europe and North America. Deconstructing my performance-art-as-text, you will discern my
A postmodern timepiece Read More »
At the The Representational Art Conference in Ventura, California, I’ll be participating in a panel discussion on The Aesthetics of 21st Century Representational Art – (Odd Nerdrum’s Kitsch and Roger Scruton’s Beauty): Moderator: Peter Trippi, Editor, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. Panelists: Julio Reyes, Stephen Hicks, Alan Lawson, Jan-Ove Tuv. Earlier in the conference, I’ll also
TRAC panel on Odd Nerdrum’s Kitsch and Roger Scruton’s Beauty Read More »
And they will no doubt ignite another round of debate about Martin Heidegger’s anti-Semitism and Nazism. History professor Robert Zaretsky summarizes the evolution of the debate to date. My thoughts here.
Heidegger’s “Black Notebooks” to be published in Germany Read More »
On March 5, I’ll be speaking at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks on “Postmodernism and Its Discontents.”
Upcoming California talk on “Postmodernism and Its Discontents” Read More »
I have only two questions: 1. Would Shakespeare feel the need to shoot a portrait of Burroughs? 2. Would he find it amusing? Defacing others’ work is a recurring theme in modern and postmodern art: “Picasso took one of Matisse’s portraits of his daughter—and used it as a dartboard, encouraging his friends to do the
Shooting Shakespeare–novelist William Burroughs Read More »