For use in my courses, additions to my Texts in Philosophy page. Frédéric Bastiat, “A Petition from the Candlemakers about Unfair Competition from the Sun” (1845). Marilyn Frye, “Oppression”, from The Politics of Reality. (1983). Mother Teresa, excerpt “On Prayer”, from No Greater Love (1987). Dualism and Naturalism quotations from Martin Luther, St. Paul, 1 […]
Texts in Philosophy — late 2017 additions Read More »
From Jordan Hill’s introduction to our one-hour podcast: “I’d like to introduce our next guest, one of my favorite living philosophers and the author of the great book *Explaining Postmodernism*. In Episode One of this podcast, we talked about postmodernism as an antagonist to the project of liberalism and Western civilization. My next guest, Stephen
Postmodernism is *part* of the Western canon: interviewed by Jordan Alexander Hill Read More »
Grégoire Canlorbe is a French intellectual entrepreneur. He currently resides in Paris. He interviewed me for The Foundation for Economic Education. Excerpt below: Grégoire Canlorbe: A second criticism, initially formulated by Michel Foucault in his 1979 lectures at the College de France, is that modern capitalist society and “disciplinary techniques” are completely bound with each other.
Does modern capitalism beget bureaucracy? Read More »
Clashing protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia — far right, far left, and others. Street violence and declarations of emergency by the governing officials. How did we get to this? First, how postmodernism evolved through three phases from high theory to coercive activism: Second, other anti-liberal and anti-rational movements learn and adopt the same strategies to their
Charlottesville, Third- and Fourth-wave Postmodernism Read More »
This interview was published at FEE in abridged form as Capitalism versus the Philosophers: An Interview with Stephen Hicks. Abstract: A market-friendly philosopher takes on postmodernists, Ayn Rand, Michel Foucault, and Fifty Shades of Grey. Here is the unabridged version, which is also posted at interviewer Grégoire Canlorbe’s site. Interview with philosopher Stephen Hicks Hicks is
Capitalism versus the Philosophers: An Interview with Stephen Hicks Read More »
Syllabus. Exam Schedule. To start: Stephen Hicks, “What Entrepreneurs Can Teach Us All About Life.” Published in The Wall Street Journal (2016). Topic One Is life meaningful or meaningless? The Meaning of Life—Selected Quotations from Psalms, Shakespeare, Brooke, Marvell, Thoreau, and others. Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942). Optional: Stephen Hicks, “Would Immortality Be Worth
Ethics — Course Topics Read More »
Philosophy 325 Professor Stephen Hicks Introduction Stephen Hicks, “What Entrepreneurship Can Teach Us About Life” (or at The Wall Street Journal). Audio version. Topic 1: Entrepreneurism Hans Rosling, “200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes — The Joy of Stats” [Video] Movie: Mr. Selfridge (Season 1, Episode 1). Questions: Why do some people say “I’ve never
Business and Economic Ethics — Course Topics and Materials Read More »
When Nazi Germany and fascist Italy were defeated, the great historical question was: Will liberalism or socialism prevail in the world? The ensuing mix of cold and hot wars and ideological battles reached their climax in our generation — with the fallout from the Soviet Union’s collapse, the enduring sadness of Cuba, the ongoing mess
Our generation’s question: Liberalism or Fascism or Socialism? Read More »
One explanation for National Socialism appeals to psychological explanations. Hitler, for example, was an art-school reject and, the argument runs, that trauma led to resentment, which is a major part of why he became a Nazi. I’m skeptical of that explanation (as I argued here) — mostly because there are thousands of art-school rejects who
Two art school rejects — Hitler and Rodin Read More »
G. W. F. Hegel: “From the Kantian system and its completion I expect a revolution in Germany.” Johann Holderlin: “Kant is the Moses of our nation.” “Within a few years of the publication of his Critique of Pure Reason in 1781, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was recognized by his contemporaries as one of the seminal thinkers
Some post-Kantians on Kant, pro and con Read More »