Imagine There’s No Svarga: Rediscovering Cārvāka, India’s 2,700-Year-Old Atheistic Tradition
The Cārvākas considered only matter—that which could be sensed—to be real.
Kushal Mehra
· 8 min read
philosophy
A collection of 98 posts
Problems with Mill’s Masterpiece
The condition of human life is such that we must of necessity be restrained and compelled by circumstances in nearly every action of our lives. Why, then, is liberty, defined as Mr. Mill defines it, to be regarded as so precious? ~James Fitzjames Stephen Of all the works written in
Bo Winegard
· 18 min read
‘Dissident Philosophers’—A Review
A review of Dissident Philosophers: Voices Against the Political Current of the Academy, edited by T. Allan Hillman and Tully Borland. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 320 pages (November, 2021) Dissident Philosophers, edited by T. Allan Hillman of the University of South Alabama and independent scholar Tully Borland, is a compilation
Spencer Case
· 10 min read
Moral Relativism and the Bottom Line
A surgeon, an engineer, and an economist all die around the same time and are met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter. “Welcome good souls! Welcome! You’re in the right place,” he informs them. “But, unfortunately, we have a shortage of mansions so two of you will need
Jefferson Crow
· 12 min read
Stephen Kershnar and the Importance of Unaskable Questions
Unpopular, unorthodox and extreme opinions no less than any others need their spokesmen, in order that our chances of discovering truths and making wise decisions be increased. ~Joel Feinberg In January of this year, SUNY Fredonia ethicist Stephen Kershnar appeared on an episode of our philosophy podcast, Brain in a
Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff
· 8 min read
Five Lessons from Julia Galef’s ‘The Scout Mindset’
Respect for reason has waxed and waned throughout history. Today, its tide is receding. University professors resign in frustration from what were once our bastions of rationality. Increasingly, the barbarians are not merely at the gates, but running the show in a vast swathe of humanities departments. After decades of
Jon Hersey
· 11 min read
Should Philosophers Censor Kevin MacDonald?
According to the mainstream narrative about race, “white supremacy” is an all-controlling social force responsible for bad outcomes such as racial disparities. According to an alternative narrative popular on the far-Right, Jewish influence is a similarly powerful force, which explains outcomes disliked by those on the Right, such as multiculturalism
Nathan Cofnas
· 6 min read
The Need for a Culture of Achievement
Rand’s style often caused her to be misunderstood and dismissed as some kind of Nietzschean.
Robert Tracinski
· 12 min read
The Aristocracy of Talent—A Review
Wooldridge argues that meritocracy can only survive if it is infused with an ethos that prioritizes virtue, applying talent to ends that ennoble rather than enrich.
Razib Khan
· 12 min read
The Eyes Have It
For the “new intellectual,” ultimately, the way forward has to be paved with nuance and understanding.
David Cohen
· 10 min read
On Pleasurable Beliefs
This erosion of trust has created an epistemic crisis that makes it difficult to defend a position, because one’s sources of information can always be called into question.
Thomas Harper
· 12 min read
The Cold War’s Morbid Sage: Theodor W. Adorno and the Philosophy of 'Post-Existence'
Adorno was smuggling a work of social analysis full of difficult philosophical references into his readers’ reach by disguising it as literature.
Philipp Felsch
· 10 min read
What Is Diversity? And Why Is It Valuable?
People differ from one another in many different ways.
Justin P. McBrayer
· 11 min read
In Defense of Good Power
Power has to be allocated. If this is done in a truly meritocratic fashion, it is not only accepted by those who become subordinated, but also met with their approval.
Magnus Henrekson
· 15 min read
Be Rational
When we apply reason to reason itself, we find that it is not just an inarticulate gut impulse, a mysterious oracle that whispers truths into our ear.
Steven Pinker
· 12 min read