Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog, page 14

*Integrating* Philosophies of Education [Lecture 6 of Philosophy of Education course]

By Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University, USA. Lecture 6: If education is a systematic process of preparing one for life, and a philosophy of life is an integrated set of views on metaphysics, epistemology, human nature, and values, how does one connect a full philosophy of life to an education strategy? Previous lectures in […]

Kindle and audio versions: “What Business Ethics Can Learn from Entrepreneurship”

My essay is available at Amazon in Kindle e-book format. It was for awhile on the Social Science Research Network’s “Top Ten” list of papers in the Entrepreneurship Research & Policy Network. It has also been translated into Serbo-Croatian translation. Abstract: “Entrepreneurship is increasingly studied as a fundamental and foundational economic phenomenon. It has, however, […]

Kant: “I had to deny knowledge in order to make room for faith”

“I had to deny knowledge in order to make room for faith.” Source: Immanuel Kant, “Second Preface,” Critique of Pure Reason (1781/1787), Bxxx. Related: On the full context of Kant’s provocative claim in Critique of Pure Reason: Related: On Kant’s role in the historical course of philosophy: Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to […]

Why did Prof. Schaper say Kant is “the father of modern aesthetics”?

In The Cambridge Companion to Kant, Professor Eva Schaper writes that Kant is “the father of modern aesthetics.”* While it’s initially shocking to think that the priggish and uptight Kant has anything to do with the often-nihilistic modern art world—Kant is arguably the most influential philosopher in the last two centuries—and it’s important for critics […]

“All politics is local” — school board decisions for your kids

My 1991 article in The Wall Street Journal (full version here) takes up the sometimes-well-meaning (and often-not) teaching that shades into indoctrination and overwhelming children with problems they’re not yet equipped to handle intellectually or emotionally. A core question for parents and teachers: How do we work with children to build up their confidence, resilience, […]

22 points from Nietzsche’s *Genealogy of Morals*

Friedrich Nietzsche’s 1887 Genealogy of Morals is an essentialized and more systematic presentation of themes from his 1886 Beyond Good and Evil. Here is my digest of the main line of argument of Genealogy‘s first essay: 1. Evolution and psycho-biology: Humans are an evolved bundle of inbuilt drives that assert themselves.2. The most basic drive […]

Tragedy of the Commons — transcript of video lecture [Classic Business Ethics Cases series]

Below is the transcript. Or here in PDF. The lecture is part of the Business Ethics Cases series. The Tragedy of the Commons (transcript) Video lecture by Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. Transcription by Matheus Pacini. Part 1: What the Tragedy Is [Video clip 1] The Tragedy of the Commons is a foundational case study in business […]

Ethics and Education: What Is the Good Life? [Lecture 5 of Philosophy of Education course]

By Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University, USA. Lecture 5: If education is to prepare students for living the best possible life, what is that? Which values and virtues are essential? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: What is the purpose of education, and what is philosophy’s relevance? Part Two: Reality: Metaphysics and Education. […]

Foucault: “Reason is the ultimate language of madness”

“Reason is the ultimate language of madness.” Source: Michel Foucault, Madness and Civilization, 1965, 95. Related: On the fuller context of Foucault’s provocative claim: Related: On Foucault’s place in the historical course of philosophy: Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (print or e-book), or audiobook:

Nietzsche as public choice theorist

Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Will to Power explanation for how the pathetic morality of the weak can prevail over the strong.  “The values of the weak prevail because the strong have taken them over as devices of leadership” (section 863). In the first essay of Genealogy of Morals (1887), Nietzsche raises a historical puzzle. He has contrasted […]