How academic theory becomes university classroom becomes schooling becomes culture: “What do these hateful ideologues do after obtaining their diplomas? To find out, we searched for the career histories of a sample of 300 former campus radicals identified by Canary Mission. More than a quarter of them are in higher education, either as graduate instructors […]
What careers do campus activists pursue? Read More »
How many times do key normative words appear in the King James version of the Bible? The above list is only partial and a discussion starter. Sample word counts via King James Bible Online: Source: https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Popular-Bible-Words.php
Bible word count: “Fear,” “Obey,” “Love,” etc. Read More »
Immanuel Kant is arguably the most influential philosopher of the past 240 years. Yet the essayist Heinrich Heine made this claim about Immanuel Kant’s philosophy: “Immanuel Kant, the arch-destroyer in the realm of thought, far surpassed in terrorism Maximilian Robespierre.” Harsh language, and it goes against a standard interpretation of Kant as the savior of
Why did Heine say Kant is an intellectual “terrorist”? Read More »
(Reprising this post on my favorite biography.) I finished Anthony Holden’s Tchaikovsky (Random House, 1995), an outstandingly well-written account of the great composer’s life. Here is an indication of the young Pyotr’s aptitude for music: “Tchaikovsky’s parents entertained a Polish pianist of their acquaintance, who naturally gave an evening concert for the thin line of
Anthony Holden’s Tchaikovsky Read More »
The published series now includes thirty episodes, of which the first ten are: 1 Immanuel Kant on the limits of reason. Critique of Pure Reason. 2 William James on pacifism and defeating militarism. “The Moral Equivalent of War.” 3 Galileo Galilei on not persecuting scientists, “Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina.” 4 Arachne and Athena
The first ten *Philosophers, Explained* Read More »
Exhibit A: Suppose one is studying Plato’s philosophy and encounters this question: Are the Forms to be taken as metaphysical realities or as rhetorical devices? One notes that for years scholars have informally discussed the issue. A formal debate is then proposed. Immediately, one observes this among some Platonists: 1.This should not be debated! Plato
Debate or not? A psychological red flag Read More »
The last line of Camus’s famous essay is: “We must imagine Sisyphus happy.” But why must we? He is condemned to roll a boulder up a hill, repeatedly. What pointless exertion. What futility. Just like most people’s lives. Here is my reading of Camus’s classic text, with explanation: Related: The full Philosophers, Explained series, including
Why must we imagine Sisyphus happy? Read More »
Who are the great philosophers, and what makes them great? This Episode: A close reading of Mill’s classic argument for robust free speech. The full playlist. Includes: About the Professor: Stephen R. C. Hicks, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, USA, and has had visiting positions at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., the
J.S. Mill in the *Philosophers, Explained* series by Prof. Stephen Hicks Read More »
15-lecture series by Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University. Part Eight: Realism and Education. What did the major Behaviorist thinkers and B.F. Skinner in particular believe, and how they apply it to education? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: Introduction: What is the purpose of education, and what is philosophy’s relevance? Part Two: Reality:
Beyond the “illusion of freedom and dignity” — Education Theory 10 Read More »
Do We Know What We Advocate? Stephen Hicks’s Defence of Individualism By Professor Piotr Kostyło Piotr Kostyło is Head of the Department of Philosophy of Education at Kasimir the Great University in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The forty-five years of communism in Poland (1944-1989) were marked by the government reminding society of the atrocities committed during World
Professor Piotr Kostyło reviews *Nietzsche and the Nazis* Read More »