Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog, page 8

Postmodernism and Education: Foucault, Giroux [Lecture 14 of Philosophy of Education course]

By Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University, USA Lecture 14: What is postmodern philosophy, and how do the views of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and other postmodernists apply to education in practice? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: Introduction: What is the purpose of education, and what is philosophy’s relevance? Part Two: Reality: Metaphysics […]

BIOLOGICAL NATURALISM: FOOT. Lecture 8 of Philosophy of Ethics course [Peterson Academy]

“The way an individual should be is determined by what is needed for development, self-maintenance, and reproduction.” Lecture Eight: Biological Naturalism Themes: Trolley Problems. Is the “Naturalistic Fallacy” a fallacy? Hume. The question of objectivity. Aristotle and Rand. The moral philosopher as first a biologist. Concluding Chart. Text: Foot, Natural Goodness. About the Instructor Stephen […]

Walt Whitman on loving learning

Beginning My Studies Beginning my studies the first step pleas’d me so much, The mere fact consciousness, these forms, the power of motion, The least insect or animal, the senses, eyesight, love, The first step I say awed me and pleas’d me so much, I have hardly gone and hardly wish’d to go any farther, […]

Frederick Douglass’s Letter to His Former Master

An open letter Douglass wrote in 1848 to Thomas Auld, his former master, on the tenth anniversary of his escape from slavery to freedom. The letter reflects the powerful impact of the moral rights reflected in the Declaration of Independence. In his speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” delivered on July 5, […]

Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Johnson (1823)

Excerpt: “… The doctrines of Europe, were that men in numerous associations cannot be restrained within the limits of order and justice, except by forces physical and moral wielded over them by authorities independent of their will. Hence their organization of kings, hereditary nobles, and priests …. “[Our goal], on the contrary, was to maintain […]

From the Office of the Reproducer-General [press release]

Bulletin: Sex and Economics — A Modest Proposal [pdf] Text by Stephen R.C. Hicks Graphics by Christopher Vaughan Permanent URL Fellow citizens: Our nation’s sex life is in peril. Surveys show widespread sexual discontent. Market failure is everywhere. Many males complain of not getting enough sex and many females object to constant male looks and […]

Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand

My “Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand” was published in The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. Here is the abstract for my 43-page study: “Philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand are often identified as strong critics of altruism and arch advocates of egoism. In this essay, Stephen Hicks argues that Nietzsche and Rand have much in […]

Marxism and Education: Marx [Lecture 13 of Philosophy of Education course]

By Professor Stephen R.C. Hicks, Rockford University, USA. Lecture 13: What is Karl Marx’s philosophy, and how does it apply to education in a capitalist society and in preparing students for a revolutionary social change? Previous lectures in the series: Part One: Introduction: What is the purpose of education, and what is philosophy’s relevance? Part […]

How do political cultures change?

Strategy question: Does one plunge into political activism—or will political efforts not be effective until the broader culture is ready for it? A common response is to say “Politics is downstream from culture.” Here is one datum, from Philip Reiff: “[T]he first Christian culture revolution accommodated itself from the beginning to the ruling classes of […]

SUBJECTIVE RELATIVISM: AYER and BENEDICT. Lecture 7 of Philosophy of Ethics course [Peterson Academy]

‘“Judgements of value”, we contend, are simply expressions of emotion which can be neither true nor false.‘ Lecture Seven: Subjective Relativism Themes: Anthropology. Meaninglessness (semantic and prescriptive). So subjective leaps? So individual emotivism? So group conditioning? Texts: Ayer, “A Critique of Ethics.” Benedict, Patterns of Culture. About the Instructor Stephen R. C. Hicks, Ph.D. is […]