John Dewey, writing in Teacher Magazine: “There is no God and there is no soul. Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, immutable truth is also dead and buried. There is no room for fixed, natural laws or moral absolutes.” “Soul Searching,” Teacher Magazine, Sept. 1933 […]
John Dewey’s secular, relativized philosophy of education Read More »
I’m having a trip down memory lane, having come across my grad-school notes on John Dewey’s 1920 Reconstruction in Philosophy. Yes, personal computers had been invented by then, but I was in transition from my old-style card-catalogue method. In part these caught my attention as I am preparing for my upcoming lecture on Dewey for
Dewey: philosophy is a social-emotional after-the-fact enterprise Read More »
An example from the University of Minnesota: In this invited lecture, Dr. Hicks surveys key educational ideas from pre-modern times, the modern era, and our post-modern times. Ancient education often stressed discipline, obedience and rule following, while modern thinkers such as Galileo, Locke, and Montaigne stressed independent judgment and the power of reason. He then
What must Woke teachers demonstrate to get a job? [Pope Lecture] Read More »
Quince argumentos para el Capitalismo Liberal: Este post va a formar parte de una serie de argumentos del libro “Liberalism: Pro & Con” de Stephen Hicks en español. Pueden encontrar todos los argumentos que serán publicados en orden en el siguiente link: Liberalism: Pro & Con en español. Argumento 1: El Capitalismo Liberal aumenta la
El Capitalismo Liberal Aumenta la Libertad [*Liberalism: Pro & Con* en Español] Read More »
Third session next week In this third session of the online course “Education’s Villains and Heroes” we will discuss Rousseau’s influential philosophy of education. * Reading to prepare for this session: Jean-Jacques Rousseau on early childhood education, excerpts from Émile (1762): Books I and II. * Link to register: ZOOM. To see more of our
Rousseau & Emotionalist Collectivism [Education’s Villains and Heroes course] Read More »
In this invited lecture, Dr. Hicks surveys key educational ideas from pre-modern times, the modern era, and our post-modern times. Ancient education often stressed discipline, obedience and rule following, while modern thinkers such as Galileo, Locke, and Montaigne stressed independent judgment and the power of reason. He then examines a series postmodern (and fellow-traveler) thinkers
Giroux on re-training teachers [Stephen Hicks’s Pope Series Lecture] Read More »
In this third session of the online course “Education’s Villains and Heroes” we will discuss Rousseau’s influential Emotionalist Collectivism. * Reading to prepare for this session: Jean-Jacques Rousseau on early childhood education, excerpts from Émile (1762): Books I and II. * Link to register: ZOOM To see more of our courses and related topics, visit
Rousseau & Emotionalist Collectivism [Education’s Villains and Heroes course] Read More »
In this invited lecture, Dr. Hicks surveys key educational ideas from pre-modern times, the modern era, and our post-modern times. Ancient education often stressed discipline, obedience and rule following, while modern thinkers such as Galileo, Locke, and Montaigne stressed independent judgment and the power of reason. He then examines a series postmodern (and fellow-traveler) thinkers
Mohanty on power in the classroom [Pope Lecture] Read More »
Contrast these two approaches to moral education: Text versions of the quotations above: “The essence of obedience is that a person comes to view himself as the instrument for carrying out another person’s wishes, and he therefore no longer regards himself as responsible for his actions.” (Stanley Milgram, Obedience to Authority, emphasis added) “Above all
Obedience: Milgram vs. Kant Read More »
Historically, “right wing” and “left wing” came into use in late 18th-century France, designating seating positions in the Assembly during the early stage of the Revolution. Birds of a feather flocked together. The “right wing” was animated in its opposition to the Enlightenment, whose philosophes had risen to prominence and were poised to transform society
What is “Right Wing”? Read More »