The Paradox of Distributive Social Justice Distributive social justice is the set of moral, social-institutional, and/or political principles, processes, and structures that determine the distribution of benefits and burdens in capitalist, liberal, democratic nation-States. In their Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on “Distributive Justice,” Julian Lamont and Christi Favor quite correctly although somewhat tautologously note … [continue reading]
Category: Essays
Aphorisms Toward A Cultural Philosophy For The Present Time, #1: Social Dictatorship.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Aphorisms 1-11: Social Dictatorship 2. Aphorisms 12-24: State Power 3. Aphorisms 25-38: Guilt and Exculpation 4. Aphorisms 39-52: Confusion and Control 5. Aphorisms 53-61: The Myth of Order Social Dictatorship 1. Ideology. By allowing our intellectuals only to quote others who—no doubt—a are also intellectuals, we create an echo-culture, a circular … [continue reading]
“The Pig War: A Musical,” Or, A Contemporary Philosophical Allegory Filled With Pigs of Various Kinds.
You can download, read, or share a .pdf of this essay HERE. The Pig War: A Musical, Or, A Contemporary Philosophical Allegory Filled With Pigs of Various Kinds “It was eating my potatoes”… “It is up to you to keep your potatoes out of my pig.” As almost everyone knows, Canada Day occurs annually on … [continue reading]
Against The State: A Polemic During A Pandemic.
Against The State: A Polemic During A Pandemic If there is one thing that the past four years have taught us, it is that Western democracy is imploding at a rate that its defenders could not foresee, and that they will turn out to be powerless to stop. Why? The answer is simple: we have … [continue reading]
Entitlement, Fear, and Change: The Nihilist Roots of Coercive Moralism, #2.
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Nihilism and Postmodernity III. If God is Dead, Then I am Entitled to Everything IV. Activist Motives: Guilt and Immortality V. Conclusion This final installment contains sections IV and V. Entitlement, Fear, and Change: The Nihilist Roots of Coercive Moralism, #2 IV. Activist Motives: Guilt and Immortality One thing … [continue reading]
Supporting MLK’s Actual Legacy.
Supporting MLK’s Actual Legacy Martin Luther King, Jr. was a socialist, which is why he advocated for racial equality. It was Dr. King’s socialism, and not merely his advocacy for racial equality, that drew the ire of the murderous forces that eventually assassinated him. The powers that maintain the status quo were happy to support … [continue reading]
Entitlement, Fear, and Change: The Nihilist Roots of Coercive Moralism, #1.
TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Nihilism and Postmodernity III. If God is Dead, Then I am Entitled to Everything IV. Activist Motives: Guilt and Immortality V. Conclusion This installment contains sections I – III. Entitlement, Fear, and Change: The Nihilist Roots of Coercive Moralism, #1 I. Introduction One of the most basic insights of … [continue reading]
Voter Fraud, RussiaGate, and Cognitive Dissonance.
I know that it’s baffling to so many people that huge numbers of Republicans believe that there was massive voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, that Biden didn’t actually legitimately win the election, or even that Trump actually won the election. There’s no actual evidence for such beliefs, although information that might appear to … [continue reading]
Being Oppressed vs. Being Offended: Why A Real Dialogue About Racism is Still Far Away.
Let me begin with two assertions, and an important distinction. The first assertion is that every human animal possessing a set of undamaged minimal capacities for consciousness, self-consciousness, cognizing, caring and feeling, choosing and acting freely, and rationality, even if they don’t always use those capacities properly or well, is a human person with absolute, … [continue reading]
Science Is Real, But Not So Damned Real.
You can also read or download a complete .pdf version of this essay HERE. I teach at Harvard that the world and the heavens, and the stars are all real, but not so damned real.[i] In my neighborhood, many people have put up signs that look like this: Now one thing I noticed immediately is … [continue reading]