2018 Brazil fire at Rio museum. The museum is owned by the government. That government overspends on “important” things but defers maintenance on less important things. “Sorry, we didn’t have money for a sprinkler system. Not our fault.” 2019 French fire at Paris cathedral. The cathedral is owned by the government. That government overspends on […]
When museums and cathedrals burn Read More »
From Klaus Christian Köhnke’s The Rise of Neo-Kantianism (Cambridge, 1991): “In the 1870s Kant became the most frequently read of the classics in Germany’s universities” (p. 8) That decade marked the decline of Hegelianism and triumph of neo-Kantianism: “Immediately after the Franco-Prussian war [1870-71] things moved forward rapidly and neo-Kantianism as a whole rose rapidly in the
Köhnke on the rise of Kant after 1870 Read More »
Bjorn Lomborg’s diagnosis: “Decades of climate-change exaggeration in the West have produced frightened children, febrile headlines, and unrealistic political promises. The world needs a cooler approach that addresses climate change smartly without scaring us needlessly and that pays heed to the many other challenges facing the planet.” Decades indeed. Ten years ago: “One in Three
Frightened Children Won’t Solve the World’s Problems Read More »
“Basic food items in America have become almost eight times cheaper relative to unskilled labor over the last 100 years.”
Cost of a Bible in 1455 compared to today Read More »
I’m happy to announce a new edition of my “Ayn Rand and Business Ethics” has been published. Thanks to the team at The Atlas Society for producing it. The essay was originally published in The Journal of Accounting, Ethics & Public Policy and has since been translated into Korean, German, Serbo-Croatian, and Portuguese. Abstract: Most
Ayn Rand and Business Ethics — new booklet edition Read More »
[Por Stephen R. C. Hicks. A translation by Matheus Pacini of “Why Postmoderns Train—Not Educate—Activists,” James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, March 2019.] Por que doutrinar crianças faz sentido para os pós-modernistas? A maioria de nós foi vítima de doutrinadores ao longo de sua formação acadêmica. Um doutrinador pensa dessa forma: existe apenas uma
Como os pós-modernistas treinam—e não educam—ativistas [Portuguese translation] Read More »
[Por Stephen R. C. Hicks. A translation by Fermin Elizalde of “Why Postmoderns Train—Not Educate—Activists,” James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, March 2019.] He aquí por qué adoctrinar a los niños tiene mucho sentido para los posmodernistas. La mayoría de nosotros encontramos adoctrinadores pasados de moda en nuestra educación. Los adoctrinadores piensan de esta
¿Por Qué Los Posmodernos Entrenan—No Educan—Activistas? [Spanish translation] Read More »
My Explaining Postmodernism book is negative on the major developments in German philosophy, tracing a devolution from Kant through Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Heidegger to the postmodernists. Lots of room in that story for nuances and exceptions, and I’ve received much criticism for being harsh on the German thinkers. I have two forthcoming Open College
Is German philosophy really Counter-Enlightenment? Nietzsche’s assessment Read More »
Good question about a philosopher’s beliefs, character, and the connections between them. John Horgan reviews Morris’s memoir-and-critique of Kuhn’s proto-postmodernism. I discuss Kuhn’s impact on first-generation postmodernism in Explaining Postmodernism, noting first how in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn concludes that metaphysical subjective relativism is true (if we can use that word): “the proponents
Errol Morris asks, “Was Thomas Kuhn Evil?” Read More »
… that it’s come to this: Politicians feel they can/must nudge them or coerce them into basic intellectual civility. The President of the United States uses the financial big stick: “Many have become increasingly hostile to the First Amendment and free speech. Under the guise of speech codes, safe spaces, and trigger warnings, these universities
Universities should be deeply embarrassed … Read More »