Žižek on Trump: Politics as Hardcore Pornography
Slavoj Žižek recently made a striking comparison between Donald Trump’s political style and hardcore pornography.
Philosophy
Deep dives into philosophical thought, ethics, logic, and existential questions.
How Later Thinkers Used Plato’s Mythic Tradition
Plato's innovative use of myths as a tool for political philosophy did not end with him; it created a powerful legacy.
How to Interpret the Myth of Er in Plato’s Republic
At the very end of his masterwork on justice, the 'Republic', Plato concludes not with a philosophical argument, but with a powerful and detailed story: the Myth of Er.
How to Understand the Myth of Atlantis as a Political Allegory
The story of the lost city of Atlantis is one of the most enduring legends in Western culture, but to understand its origin, one must see it as Plato intended.
How to Understand Plato’s Use of Myths in Political Philosophy
Plato is celebrated as a champion of reason, so it often seems paradoxical that his most famous dialogues are filled with elaborate myths and stories.
How to Analyze the ‘Noble Lie’ in Plato’s Republic
One of the most controversial and fascinating concepts in the history of political thought is the 'noble lie' from Plato's *Republic*.
The Utilitarians: Can Happiness Be Quantified and Legislated?
The Utilitarians, a school of thought that dominated British philosophy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, represent a direct continuation of Locke's empirical tradition.
Karl Marx: The Philosopher of History, Class, and Revolution
Karl Marx (1818-1883) stands as one of the most intellectually formidable and historically consequential figures of the nineteenth century, widely regarded as the architect of scientific socialism.
Bergson: The Philosopher of Life, Intuition, and Creative Evolution
Henri Bergson (1859-1941) was a leading French philosopher of the early twentieth century, whose work profoundly influenced figures like William James and Alfred North Whitehead.
William James: Radical Empiricism and the ‘Will to Believe’
William James (1842-1910), a towering figure in American thought, was primarily a psychologist who made profound contributions to philosophy, particularly through his doctrines of "radical empiricism" and "pragmatism.
John Dewey: Instrumentalism and the Evolution of Truth
John Dewey (1859-1952), widely acknowledged as America's leading philosopher of his time, exerted a profound influence not only on philosophy but also on education, aesthetics, and political theory.
Locke’s Theory of Knowledge: How Did Empiricism Challenge Innate Ideas?
John Locke (1632-1704) stands as the intellectual apostle of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, a pivotal event in English history that established a more moderate and successful form of parliamentary democracy.
Locke’s Political Philosophy: How Did He Justify Government by Consent?
John Locke's (1632-1704) two Treatises on Government, particularly the second, stand as foundational texts in the history of political ideas, providing the philosophical bedrock for modern liberalism.
Schopenhauer: The Philosopher of Will, Suffering, and Pessimism
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) stands as a unique and often unsettling figure in the history of philosophy, distinguished by his profound pessimism and his revolutionary doctrine of the primacy of Will.
Nietzsche: The Will to Power and the Critique of ‘Slave Morality’
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) stands as a profoundly influential and controversial figure in modern philosophy, rightly regarding himself as the successor to Schopenhauer, yet surpassing him in the coherence and radicalism of his doctrines.