Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog, page 70
June 21, 2023
Why “Abstract” Art rejects Figurative Art
Modernist art rejects representation in art often contemptuously, calling it “non-art” or “kitsch.” Why? Partly it’s the influence of philosopher Immanuel Kant. In his famous Critique of Judgment, in which he calls “sublime” the Hebrew Scripture passage “Thou shalt make no graven images.” I discuss Kant’s general philosophy, his philosophy of art, and his influence …
Published on June 21, 2023 08:22
June 20, 2023
ChatGPT on *Explaining Postmodernism* in 200 words
Question:In 200 words, what is the argument of Stephen Hicks’s book Explaining Postmodernism? ChatGPT: Stephen Hicks’s book “Explaining Postmodernism” argues that postmodernism, a cultural and academic movement that emerged in the late 20th century, represents a radical break with the rationalist and humanist traditions of modernity. According to Hicks, postmodernism is characterized by a rejection …
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Published on June 20, 2023 06:09
June 19, 2023
Chat GPT on *Nietzsche and the Nazis* in 200 words
Question:In 200 words, what is the argument of Stephen Hicks’s book Nietzsche and the Nazis? ChatGPT: Stephen Hicks’s book Nietzsche and the Nazis argues that there is a direct connection between the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and the rise of Nazi ideology in Germany. Hicks argues that the Nazis were heavily influenced by Nietzsche’s ideas, …
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Published on June 19, 2023 06:56
June 18, 2023
Romain Rolland on Beethoven’s response to his deafness and depression
Reprising this awesome quotation from Romain Rolland on Beethoven’s response to his great obstacles: The hammer is not all: the anvil also is necessary. Had destiny descended only upon some weakling, or on an imitation great man, and bent his back under this burden, there would have been no tragedy in it, only an everyday …
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Published on June 18, 2023 09:31
If you read only one thing by Immanuel Kant
Let it be the Second Preface to his Critique of Pure Reason. CPR is Kant’s foundational and most important work. Yet it’s long and complicated. When he published the second edition in 1787, he took pains to write a new preface outlining his main conclusions, his reasons for them, and their key implications for future …
Published on June 18, 2023 06:36
June 17, 2023
Self-sacrifice as more threatening than self-interest
Reprising this intriguing passage from Berel Dov Lerner’s review of Moshe Halbertal’s On Sacrifice (2012): ‘Halbertal claims that despite all its transcendent glory, adoption of the notion of “sacrifice for” can generate especially terrible consequences: “misguided self-transcendence is morally more problematic and lethal than a disproportionate attachment to self-interest” (78, italics in original). How does …
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Published on June 17, 2023 07:44
June 14, 2023
“Battle of San Romano” by Uccello [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 …
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Published on June 14, 2023 07:00
June 12, 2023
Liberalism: Pro & Con en Español
My Liberalism: Pro and Con has been translated into Spanish by Fermin Elizalde. We will be serially publishing here each part prior to the publication of the book as a whole. Find the English version here: Amazon. From the blurb for the English edition: In this primer, we take up the best arguments for and …
Published on June 12, 2023 07:30
June 11, 2023
The culture wars are a 3-way, not 2-way, battle— one-minute clip from Australia
The nationalistic Right and the identity-politics Left share a collectivist, irrationalist, adversarial approach to culture and politics. Classically liberal individualism is a third and fundamentally distinct approach. Stephen Hicks, Professor of Philosophy (USA) and John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister (Australia) discuss. Full interview here. Related: Stephen Hicks on the intellectual roots political correctness, Woke …
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Published on June 11, 2023 06:52
June 10, 2023
Freedom of Thought and Discussion | John Stuart Mill | *Philosophers, Explained* series by Professor Stephen Hicks
Who are the great philosophers, and what makes them great? 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 …
Published on June 10, 2023 07:00
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