Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog, page 44

“The Myth of Sisyphus” | Albert Camus | *Philosophers, Explained* by Professor Stephen Hicks

Who are the great philosophers, and what makes them great? Episodes: The full playlist. 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 University of Kasimir the Great in Poland, Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College in […]

Children’s fears and environmental education

Results from a recent survey of children: Respondents across all countries were worried about climate change (59% were very or extremely worried and 84% were at least moderately worried). More than 50% reported each of the following emotions: sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/la... Much of modern environmentalism strikes me as very Old […]

Sidney Hook on public education

An evocative quotation from philosopher Sidney Hook (1902-1989), from his autobiographical Out of Step. In an earlier post I quoted Hook’s account of his family’s living conditions. Here Hook recalls his authoritarian-style education in American schools circa one century ago: “Although the public schools were religiously attended (children feared the wrath of their parents much […]

*Explaining Postmodernism* wins baking contest

Unexpected news: Explaining Postmodernism wins first place in a university’s edible cake contest. The cake’s maker, who wishes to remain anonymous online, explains: “Mickey, the dialectical apprentice to such gnostic sorcerers as Rousseau, Hegel, and Derrida, is busy deconstructing our cake, leaving destruction and ruin in his wake.” I like that the book side of […]

Chapter: “Mind-shift for 21st-Century Education: Entrepreneurism,” by Stephen Hicks

Today at Jagielloninan University in Krakow, Poland, is a book-launch event for this new volume: Defending the Value of Education as a Public GoodPhilosophical Dialogues on Education and the State, edited by Katarzyna Wrońska (Jagiellonian University, Poland), Julian Stern (Bishop Grosseteste University, England). I contributed an essay. My title and abstract: “Mind-shift for 21st-Century Education: […]

Kuhn on the Greeks and scientific culture

A striking quotation from Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: “Every civilization of which we have records has possessed a technology, an art, a religion, a political system, laws, and so on. In many cases those facets of civilization have been as developed as our own. But only the civilizations that descend from Hellenic […]

Dugin and Foucault are both disciples of the same philosopher

Alexander Dugin is right-wing and religious—and a disciple of Heidegger‘s.Michael Foucault is left-wing and atheist—and a disciple of Heidegger‘s. Dugin on the philosopher who accomplished “the most all-encompassing, paradoxical, profound, and penetrating study of Being. I am talking about Martin Heidegger.” (Source: The Fourth Political Theory, 2009) Foucault: “Heidegger has always been for me the […]

Three Goddesses, c. 438-32 BCE [Newberry on Great Art series]

An Artist’s View: Michael Newberry on Key Works of Art in History Michael Newberry is a California-based artist who has exhibited across Europe and North America. He is the author of books on color theory, philosophy of art, modernism and postmodernism in art, and art history. We invited him into our studio for this series […]

Totally okay exceptions

2019: Believe women about rape! Me Too! — Unless it’s Jewish or Christian women in Israel or Nigeria.2020: Be anti-racist! BLM! — Unless it’s racism against Asians and whiteys.2021: My Body My Choice. — But take the jab or we will destroy you.2022: No hate speech! — Unless you’re upset about US foreign policy then […]

Aesop on politicians and rationalizing tyranny

Reprising “The Wolf and the Lamb“: A wolf came upon a lamb that had strayed from the flock, and he felt some compunction about taking the life of so helpless a creature without some excuse. So he cast about for a grievance and said at last, “Last year, you grossly insulted me.” “That is impossible, […]