Wednesday
September 13, 2006 |
 Revisiting the Intellectual Heritage of a Free Society
by Edward W. Younkins
This essay surveys and revisits the intellectual heritage of a free society. The origins of theoretical arguments for a free society make up a long and distinguished tradition which stretches back at least to the 6th Century B.C. and spans writers until the present day. Elements of the liberal outlook have been discove... (Read more...)
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An Analysis of David Gulbraa's "Tales of the Mall Masters"
by Kenny Lo
Editor's note: This is the last of the pieces submitted by Ed Younkin's students.
"Tales of the Mall Masters" by David Gulbraa is a brilliant comparison of American free market capitalism society and Middle Eastern religious market society. On the surface most readers will not agree with me since the dominant religion portrayed in the book is Christianity. However, today some Middle Eastern societies are governed by their holy book the Koran similar to the novel's Christian bible.
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Thursday
September 7, 2006 |
Demeaning Work?
by Tibor R. Machan
So my CBS TV morning news program reports that whereas on average Americans take 10 days vacation per year, the Germans, French, Italians and other Europeans are up there with 25 days or near it. OK, so what? The report suggests one interpretation of these data: Americans cannot relax, while Europeans can. Americans are workaholics, while Europeans have a more sensible approach to work. (Read more...)
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Happy Labor Day: We're All Workers!
by Ed Hudgins
The assumption behind Labor Day is that workers are distinct from managers, investors and entrepreneurs. But these roles are artificial. We're all workers and all workers should realize they're entrepreneurs, managers and investors in their own lives. (Read more...)
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The Mid East Crisis
by Tibor R. Machan
When the Hizbullah initially kidnapped the Israeli soldiers, the event that seems to have sparked the current crisis, I was traveling in Europe with only the International Herald Tribune, CNN, BBC and some German newscasts available to keep me up to snuff. I also had a chance to talk with several people from the region itself. (Read more...)
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Objectivism, "Contextual Knowledge" and the Correspondence Theory of Truth: Conclusion
by William Scott Dwyer
In this, the final part of my article, I expose the contradictions in Schwartz's application of his principle that a seemingly true conclusion arrived at on the basis of false premises is a false conclusion. Despite his principle, Schwartz considers von Mises, whose epistemology and ethics depart radically from Objectivism's, to be a proponent of individualism and an ally in the fight for freedom and capitalism, while nevertheless arguing that libertarians cannot be considered allies, because they do not share Objectivism's premises. He is also at odds with Ayn Rand who is on record as stating that she considered some religious people to be supporters of Objectivism and allies in the fight for freedom. (Read more...)
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Wishful Thinking From Mr. Lind
by Tibor R. Machan
In the August 16th issue of the Financial Times Michael Lind, senior fellow at the New America Foundation and author of The American Way of Strategy (OUP, October 2006), penned a piece titled "The Unmourned End of Libertarian Politics." Immediately you could tell something fishy is going to be presented to you here because it is one of the most obvious facts of recent American politics that the libertarians have had hardly any role in it. (Read more...)
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Objectivism, "Contextual Knowledge" and the Correspondence Theory of Truth: Part 2
by William Scott Dwyer
This is the second part of a three-part article. Here, I evaluate Schwartz's view of truth as well as Rand's definition. I find both to be unsatisfactory and at odds with the traditional correspondence theory. (Read more...)
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It Begins with the Poor and Sick
by Tibor R. Machan
The story about the plastic saxophone illustrates very nicely, though, just how readily those in government abandon a commitment to confining their activism to helping those in dire straits. (Read more...)
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Hazards of Ethnicity
by Tibor R. Machan
One favorite way of attempting to understand people is by reference to their ethnicity—"Oh, well, now I understand—she comes from Italy (or India, Kentucky, New York or Rumania, you name the place)." Many books address this issue and one Nobel Laureate in literature, the Indian novelist V. S. Naipaul, is famous for dealing with it in nearly all of his works—see, for example, his recent novel Magic Seeds. Another Nobel Laureate, this time in economics, namely Amartya Sen—also of Indian origins—has also addressed the issue in several works, including his short book, Reason Before Identity. (Read more...)
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Mind and Representation
by Merlin Jetton
Is the mind representational? Yes and no; it depends on what is meant. Some people claim that perception is representational without defining or clarifying what a “representation” is. So that will be my first task. An act of representation requires three components: 1. The referent that is represented. 2.... (Read more...)
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Another Blunder at "Public" Schools
by Tibor R. Machan
This is another wonderful—or, actually, horrible—case where the true culprit is not being identified in the major media or even by the interested parties. (Read more...)
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Aristotle and Aquinas: Intrinsic Morality versus God's Morality
by Melissa S. Atkinson
Throughout history, there have been many different philosophies regarding the way in which one should live his life. Many of these philosophers have agreed that there is a greater being, God, who causes us to want to act virtuously. How one should live this virtuous life is the subject to which many philosophers disp... (Read more...)
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True Liberal Democracy
by Tibor R. Machan
When one objects to government’s meddling in people’s lives, often one gets the response that, after all, so long as government’s decisions are reached democratically, there’s nothing wrong with such meddling. This assumes that democracy is a benign way to arrive at policies that go contrary to what individuals want, even violate their unalienable rights. Why would such an assumption be accepted with little resistance. (Read more...)
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A Cool Capitalist: The Centenary of the Air Conditioner
by Ed Hudgins
If you're sitting inside your house, office or car in cool comfort as the summer weather scorches all outside, give thanks to Willis Carrier, the American capitalist who, a century ago, invented and commercialized the air conditioner! (Read more...)
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Turgot on Progress and Political Economy
by Edward W. Younkins
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot (1727-1781) was a major political and intellectual figure in pre- revolutionary France. He was a man of wide-ranging intellectual interests and is considered to be a symbol or exemplar of the Enlightenment. A.R.J. Turgot was a well-respected social philosopher and political economist despite... (Read more...)
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Our Government thinks EA Games is a terrorist organization
by John Armaos
[Editor's Note: This is more properly a news item than an article, but I'm sending it through anyways as it's interesting.]
... (Read more...)
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Karl Marx versus Adam Smith
by Lauren M. Twigg
Karl Marx is one of the most controversial figures of the twentieth century, though he lived in the 19th, his legacy has lived on as one of controversy.. As one of the original minds behind communism and a fundamental revolutionary, he is renowned as a radical and somewhat dangerous political philosopher. Adam Smith is... (Read more...)
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America's Lawless Executive Branch
by Andre Zantonavitch
Spying on American bank transactions -- some thoughts. (Read more...)
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Aquinas and Locke on Politics
by Sara A. Gasser
Among the great political philosophers of Medieval and Modern times are Thomas Aquinas and John Locke. They set the stage for many Contemporary thinkers of the day. Their teachings can be similar but also vary from point to point. Among there great works are their thoughts on the civil society. Each places emphasis... (Read more...)
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Ideas Require Application
by G. Stolyarov II
Mr. Stolyarov refutes the prevalent mindset among intellectuals that truth must be pursued solely for its own sake. Rather, he contends that the purpose of truth is to enable the individual to survive and flourish. Mr. Stolyarov presents a theory of the three vital components of truth and an imperative for intellectuals to turn their minds outward toward benefiting themselves by means of the external reality. (Read more...)
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Hail to the Fourth
by Tibor R. Machan
One reason I consider the Declaration of Independence such a marvelous document is that it states better than anything else the fundamental principles of a free society. (Read more...)
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James M. Buchanan: Constitutional and Post-Constitutional Political Economy
by Edward W. Younkins
In 1986, James M. Buchanan was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics for his efforts to study the public sector within the same microeconomic analytical framework that is used to study private economy. Buchanan applies economics to understanding how individuals interact in the public square to formulate collective deci... (Read more...)
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Another Assault on Liberty
by Tibor R. Machan
Back when Robert Nozick wrote his path breaking libertarian academic treatise, Anarchy, State, and Utopia (Basic Books, 1974), the philosopher Thomas Nagel wrote a review essays highly critical of Nozick’s work. In an essay, "Libertarianism Without Foundations," Nagel had a lot to say about how Nozick allegedly failed to provide adequate support for his libertarian position. But one point Nagel made quite apart from whether Nozick’s position had adequate foundations stood out for me. Here is the passage that stuck in my mind: (Read more...)
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Capitalism
by Jack Woodward
All my life, I have heard it said that capitalism is a system which rewards greed and exploitation. This is to misunderstand the nature of the system. Capitalism rewards men's hard work and uninhibited ability to produce. The fact that it is more open to greed and exploitation is indicative of it's optimistic disp... (Read more...)
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