Fascism

[close] Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the Rules and Housekeeping topic): Subject to copyright law and these rules, posters may cite, link, or quote any publication, including their own. Posts linking to outside sources must contain a brief explanation of the nature of the linked material and, unless obvious, how it is relevant to the topic being discussed. All posts and linked material must be in English. Posts and any linked material should be polite and not degenerate into ad hominem attacks. The purpose here is to seek light, not heat—rational discourse, not shouting matches. Leave your cable news persona at home and put on your philosopher's mantle when entering this group. Rational argumentation and Socratic questioning are welcome. Hectoring, intimidation, insult, and presumptuous condescension toward other group members are cause for immediate removal from the group. Internet "trolls," advocates of violence, and posters failing to comply with these rules will be removed from membership, as will posters who persist in raising issues that are outside the scope of the subject matter of this group. New members may introduce themselves in the New Member Introductions topic. See posts 4-5 here regarding the creation of new topics. Photo credit: Socrates sculpture at Louvre (CherryX per Wikimedia Commons [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

[close] “Sustaining Democracy” is a book club sponsored by the Jefferson Center in Core Texts and Ideas. It provides UT Austin students a space in which to read and discuss key thinkers and texts, both canonical and contemporary, that lay the foundations for democratic and ethical governance. Readings will highlight the specific ways that ethical and democratic governance is undermined by authoritarianism, tribalism, and political corruption. This Goodreads group is for both UT and non-UT students who would like to follow along in our readings and discussion (see discussions). "Sustaining Democracy" book club meetings are open to the UT Austin community. For information on this Goodreads group, or to learn more about the book club, please contact Prof. Hina Azam at hina.azam@austin.utexas.edu.

[close] A small club for enjoyers of skymningen.

[close] (not trolling, I just want to initiate an open dialogue about one of the recent topics I've become fixated on) Required reading: Daddy -Sylvia Plath(found in the poetry compilation "Ariel" *Was Plath being ironic? *Was Plath completely and utterly serious? *What is adorable about a fascist, if anything at all? *What is "that Mein Kampf look" *Are there any reoccurring themes in her other poems worth investigating? *What do you think Plath meant by "living in a shoe"? Was she attempting to understand her father?(for ex: to walk in someone else's shoes) *(prepare yourself for divisive condescending question) Do "PsychoPlaths"(people who obsess over Plath for exclusively political reasons, neglecting the poets suffering, almost socioplathically butchering her poems to apply it to their own political ends) even care to truly understand Plath's pain and suffering? or would they rather keep any possibility of empathy at bay to avoid dealing with their own pseudo-moral contradictions? *Was Ted Hughes a patriarchal misogynist? *What is attractive about patriarchal misogynists, if anything at all? (This is meant as a joke if it offended you. However it is meant in all seriousness if it didn't offend you, especially if you actually considered the question) *Is Ted Hughes a total jerk for leaving Sylvia for a piece of (ass)ia?(This is word play, as you can see I am rather good at it) Bottom line is I just want to discuss if she meant what she said or didn't and why, with answers that provide context from her own life.