It is often correctly pointed out that Kant saw himself as carrying out a grand Socratic mission inherited from Rousseau. However, as Kant himself makes clear in his Logic , this had less to do with the recognition of the aporetic character of philosophy and more to do with the distinction . . . . Continue Reading »
Who steals my purse steals trash; ‘tis something, nothing; ‘Twas mine, ‘tis his, and has been slave to thousands: But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed. OTHELLO, III.iii The most interesting sentence in the most . . . . Continue Reading »
Every once in a while — or maybe often — it’s worth a reality check to see if theory matches up to practice. Of course those of us inclined to note that being precedes consciousness (or practice precedes reason) are inclined to pay attention to what’s going on in the real . . . . Continue Reading »
I have long held that much of the irrational hatred directed at Sarah Palin—not political opposition, but the hatred—is because she dared to knowingly give birth to a baby with Down syndrome. This suspicion is heightened by this disgusting blog entry by the Wonkette blog discussing a . . . . Continue Reading »
The media never tire of fawning stories about people who assist others in self destruction. The latest example of this journalistic groupieism comes out of the Vancouver Sun, in which a reporter goes to the home of an assisted suicide facilitator named Russell Ogden.From the story, byline Douglas . . . . Continue Reading »
Bill Kauffman is one of the best writers pounding the keyboard today. Consequently, when he publishes a book, I review it, because (1) the man can write history, (2) he’s the funniest political theorist around, and (3) I get a copy free (the "f" word!). . . . . Continue Reading »
This is very sad but I think it qualifies as a form of the profound anti-humanism that is running rampant in the world. A man in Japan wants to marry a cartoon and has started a petition drive to pressure the government to permit it. From the story: A Japanese man has enlisted hundreds of people in . . . . Continue Reading »
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen,” the Letter to the Hebrews tells us. I couldn’t help thinking of that today when I scanned the list of articles on Real Clear Politics . A piece in Roll Call ponders which notes the discrepancy . . . . Continue Reading »
In honor of today’s holiday—Reformation Day—I have been rereading Luther’s 95 Theses , which he nailed to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. A few of his theses, in particular, stood out this time around: 41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, . . . . Continue Reading »
Voting for Obama for sake of having a black president would be irresponsibly self-indulgent, but few would deny that there’s something moving in this story from Texas: Amanda Jones, 109, the daughter of a man born into slavery, has lived a life long enough to touch three centuries. And after . . . . Continue Reading »
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