Adding philosophical depth to anything and everything
An example of changing one’s orientation The Backstory I am not a fan of corporations. It’s their unaccountable greed that irks me. Case in point: here in Central Europe, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the wholesale price of natural gas doubled in early winter 2022. Energy corporations responded […]
Read more
Mikhail Bakunin This is a difficult conversation to have, especially because it is so laden with emotions and misperceptions. These are not detached, academic topics— these two ideologies are woven into the fabric of politics today. My discussion here, a product of years of research and comparative politics, is to […]
Read more
Bigot, misogynist, and antisocial cynic, Jean-Paul Sartre is an unlikely hero. Yet, Sartre is a hero to some, and not just to bigots, misogynists, and antisocial cynics. He was brave in speaking openly about what few have the courage to even contemplate. For what he contributed to philosophy, he deserves […]
Read more
One can apply philosophy to anything and everything. Even this topic. Approaching everyday phenomena with a philosophical attitude helps us understand ourselves. Dying one’s hair is acting to change one’s appearance. Why would someone do that? One is covering over one’s natural fair color with an artificial color. That much […]
Read more
Can we have an intelligent conversation about what’s going on at Columbia University? Probably not. I’ll try anyway, although a conversation requires willing and sincere participants. Ostensibly, the protests at Columbia University are about defending the rights of Palestinian people in Gaza. No doubt, for some people, it is about […]
Read more
. . . and why is it so contentious? This is a rare work of political theory that stands out for its conversational style and readability. Its persuasion relies on easy to follow arguments and logical conclusion in order to repaint the intractable modern political landscape as a vast misunderstanding of what […]
Read more
The world won’t end with a bang. Actually the world won’t end, but humanity might. If we destroy ourselves, we won’t do it suddenly — not nuclear war. We will slouch and slide slovenly oblivious toward our dissolution. The 1950s set in motion forces that may end up destroying the world. […]
Read more
Seriously . . . It’s Monday night. I’ve finished teaching my ethics class. We covered Kant this week - he who said that acts of kindness performed because one finds an inner satisfaction in spreading joy have no true moral worth. No, Kant said, the only acts that have genuine moral worth are those […]
Read more
Much ink has been spilled over the dilemma that is Donald Trump. Some people love him, and some people hate him. Some people try to explain why people love or hate Trump. What unites them is a lack of clarity about why they or anyone else love or hate him. […]
Read more
There are wrong ways to fight racism Racism is a scourge, a blight on humanity. All bigotry is harmful because it misrecognizes, stereotypes, and denigrates people. Bigotry based on the perception of race is particularly pernicious, harming lives and whole societies. And yet, racism exists all over the world. I don’t […]
Read more