Political Archives - Insert Philosophy Here

The Political Spectrum — Part 3: The Fake Left and the Reactionary Right

In Part 1, I began to demythologize the political spectrum by re-rooting it in the struggle over power concentration. In Part 2, I debunked the libertarian marketing scheme of the dual axis political spectrum. Here in Part 3, I will […]

The Political Spectrum - Part 2: The Fake Axis

The traditional conception of the political spectrum has been confusing. Some have tried to exploit that confusion to push their own agendas, such as the dual axis political spectrum suggested by political libertarianism. This marketing fake has fooled some people, […]

The Political Spectrum - Part 1: What “Left” and “Right” Mean

Reclaiming terms that have become empty rhetoric. In my hopefully not fruitless attempt to bring serious philosophy to this site, this is the first in at least three articles on rethinking the concepts of the political spectrum. (Source: public domain) “Left-wing” […]

Can War Ever Be Justified?

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine brings up a vexing philosophical question: when is war morally defensible? A small but ancient part of political philosophy is known as “just war theory.” There are two aspects to just war theory. One explores the […]

The Authority to Claim Recognition

Social recognition among individuals and groups is what keeps together communities. Without it, struggles for justice and freedom are impossible. All struggles for justice include the struggle for the authority and power to claim recognition. Excerpt from the book, Rethinking […]

What’s The Problem With “Wokeness?”

The words “woke” and “wokeness” have recently entered the political lexicon. These words puzzle me as to what they mean and why people use them. “Woke” and “wokeness” are used mostly, if not exclusively, as an insult. They are used […]

Karl Marx and 1848

The path to understanding Marx begins by understanding this excerpt from The Communist Manifesto: A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of Communism. All the Powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre… Karl Marx, […]

What Lurks Behind Conspiracy Theories? A Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories.

Some people, despite all proof to the contrary, believe the moon landings were faked. Some people, despite all proof to the contrary, believe the last election was stolen. And those are just two of the many conspiracy theories that […]

Calvinism and the American Conception of Evil

Largely underestimated is the significant influence that John Calvin has had on culture in the United States. Perhaps only John Locke has had more philosophical influence on the American Zeitgeist than has Calvin. To understand America and its uniqueness, you […]

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