Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog, page 56

Curing epilepsy — peonies, the gospel, and hair of the dog

Medieval medical know-how: “John of Gaddesden (1280-1349), physician to Edward II and compiler of the encyclopaedic Rosa anglica medicinae [The English Rose of Medicine], recommended reciting the gospel over an epileptic patient while bedecking him with peony and chrysanthemum amulets or the hair of a white dog” (From Roy Porter’s excellent The Greatest Benefit to […]

Kostyło’s review of *Nietzsche and the Nazis*

Professor Piotr Kostyło of University of Casimir the Great reviewed the Polish edition of Nietzsche and the Nazis. Here’s an English translation of Kostyło’s review: “Do We Know What We Advocate? Stephen Hicks’s Defence of Individualism” [pdf]. The original Polish: “Czy wiemy, za czym cie opowiedamy? Stephena Hickss obrana indywidualizmu”. The review was published in […]

RIKS interview of Stephen Hicks, Stockholm, Sweden

The interview is In English, with Swedish overlay: modernity anti-modernity, rationality and illogic, freedom for all and cynical power games. I was interviewed by the smart and well-prepared Dr. Richard Sörman for the RIKS channel on the occasion of a Swedish printing of Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (English text here, […]

Milei’s Argentina: Stephen Hicks and Richard Salsman discuss

Then: image is from Buenos Aires a few years ago, when Javier Milei (economist, Argentina), Axel Kaiser (economist, Chile) I gave talks at an event. Both Kaiser and Milei gave great talks, in my judgment, Milei adding his trademark dramatic flair. Now: My Twitter/X Spaces discussion from a couple of weeks ago, when economist Richard […]

Thales and the Origin of Philosophy | Philosophers, Explained by Professor Stephen Hicks

Episodes: The full playlist. 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 England, and Jagiellonian University in Poland.

Shoes and wisdom

There is wisdom in shoes: “Once I was sad because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.” Your problems are not as bad as they could be. “Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” Knowing the other’s context puts you in a better position to …

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Jouvenel on begrudging other people’s wealth

An observation by Bertrand de Jouvenel on begrudging others’ riches. The question he takes up is this: Why are the great incomes of movie stars and singers not routinely attacked while the great incomes of CEOs and entrepreneurs are? “The film star or the crooner is not grudged the income that is grudged to the …

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*Owl and the Sparrow* movie recommendation

See this movie. Owl and the Sparrow, set in the new Vietnam, is about Thuy, a 10-year old girl. Her parents have died, so she is being raised by her harsh uncle and working in his factory. One day, after she makes a minor mistake, her uncle unloads on her, telling her she is deficient, …

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1955 movie *Marty* [my mini-review]

Marty stars Ernest Borgnine, and it won the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture along with three other Oscars, so I figured I should watch it. My five-sentence summary: Marty’s gonna run a fine butcher shop some day.Lonely Marty finally meets a girl who’s a “dog” just like he is.Marty’s cousin and his wife get …

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*Zorba the Greek* (my mini-review)

I watched Zorba the Greek (1965), which I hadn’t seen since my teen years. My five-sentence summary: I’m incompetent and repressed. You’re incompetent and outgoing.We’re surrounded by viciously ignorant villagers.But that’s okay! Let’s dance! Related: 1955 movie Marty.