Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog

RESURGENT COLLECTIVISM: GEORG HEGEL and KARL MARX. Lecture 7 of Modern Philosophy [Peterson Academy course]

“Our mode of treating the subject is a Theodicaea,���a justification of the ways of God,���so that the ill that is found in the World may be comprehended, and the thinking Spirit reconciled with the fact of the existence of evil.” Lecture Seven: Resurgent Collectivism. Georg Hegel and Karl Marx Themes: After Kant, reality or reason? […]

“The RENAISSANCE IDEAL. From AQUINAS to ALBERTI.” Lecture 3 of *Philosophy of Education*

Lecture Three: The Renaissance Ideal From Aquinas to Alberti Themes: The Toledo School. Aquinas and integrating Aristotle and Christianity. The method of the Summa. Scholastics, Humanists, and Protestants (Calvin, Luther). Is it a sin to read the Bible? Tyndale and Servetus. Michelangelo, Da Vinci. Core issues: Overcoming the dualisms. God and nature. Mind and Body. […]

*Whisper of the Heart* movie recommendation

A long-time favorite from my younger years. I was surprised at how much I liked this 1995 film. It’s animated and targeted for teens, but its graphics are often lovely and its theme is for anyone young at heart. The story follows a young girl named Shizuku Tsukishima. She’s in junior high school and an […]

Recommended Logic Books

For my online Logic course, three books I recommend to supplement the eight lectures: 1. David Kelley and Debby Hutchins, The Art of Reasoning, Fifth edition. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 2020. An excellent comprehensive, clearly written textbook. 2. H. W. B. Joseph, An Introduction to Logic, Second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, […]

Hegel: ���If the State claims life, the individual must surrender it���

���The��� Source: Related: On the fuller context of ‘s provocative claim: Related: On ‘s place in the historical course of philosophy: Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (print or e-book), or audiobook:

PUBLIC CHOICE: POLITICS without ROMANCE. James BUCHANAN. Lecture 3 of *Philosophy of Politics: From the Cold War to After 9/11*

Buchanan: Public Choice theory “extends the idea of the profit motive from the economic sphere to the sphere of collective action.“ About the Course In this eight-lecture course, Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks takes us on a journey through the evolution of modern political philosophies from the tensions of Cold War to the turbulent post-9/11 era. […]

“WHAT Is RELIGIOUS EDUCATION? From PLATO to AUGUSTINE.” Lecture 2 of *Philosophy of Education*

Lecture Two: What Is Religious Education? From Plato to Augustine Themes: Plato���s Myth of the Cave and Myth of Gyges. The quarrel between Philosophy vs. Poetry. The Romans captured Greece ��� but the Greeks conquered Rome. Christianity institutionalized. Augustine’s rejection of pagan philosophies. Core issues: Super-naturalism. Dualities. Human inequality. Human badness. Texts: Plato, The Republic. […]

LIBERALISM. John Stuart MILL. Lecture 4 of *Philosophy of Politics: From the French Revolution to World War II*

Mill: “The majority … may desire to oppress a part of their number; and precautions are as much needed against this, as against any other abuse of power.” About the Course In this eight-lecture course, Professor Stephen Hicks takes us through the development of political philosophy from the late 18th to the early 20th century, […]

What is “Cultural” Marxism? [interview excerpt]

From a 2020 interview: Jennifer Grossman [43:41]:  Is Cultural Marxism a real thing? Where are the greatest dangers? And how can we fight against it? Maybe you could just start with what is Cultural Marxism. Stephen Hicks: The quick-and-dirty version is that Cultural Marxism is a real phenomenon, and it is a danger. The quick genealogy […]

Question: Does one have a right to believe racism? [interview excerpt]

From a 2020 interview: Jennifer Grossman [51:40]: While no rational person would support racism, would you accept the idea that a person has the right ...