Philosophy

My Libertarianism

Lately I have been trying to avoid the explicitly political and focus, instead, on scholarly work. While it is true that that scholarly work could have political consequences if read, developed, used, etc., it’s not explicitly political. There are political consequences to what one believes about…

Peace Through Tension; War Through Unity

Why does hatred seem to be on the rise in the world, including in the U.S.? True, there has always been hatred, and humans seem programmed to hate the Other, but there seems to be an increase of late that reverses the world-historical trend in the opposite…

Yes, Race Really Is Socially Constructed

The scientific concept of race defines “race” as genetic differences among groups that result in different cultural expressions. This is how those who began studying race in the 19th century understood race. Thus, the very concept of race stands or falls on…

The Illusion of Agent Control

Perhaps one of the most problematic cognitive biases we have is the tendency to attribute agency when one doesn’t understand the cause of something and/or where none is needed. This cognitive bias is related to the Illusion of Control, where you overestimate your degree of…

Musings on The Middle Way

I don’t want to call the following a book review of Lou Marinoff’s book The Middle Way, though it is in part just that. More than that, I want to call this an essay on economics, philosophy, culture, society, education, and many more things inspired and inspirited by Marinoff’s…

A Brief History of Western Ideas from an Emergent Complexity Perspective

I. Introduction

Complex systems theory shows that the more elements there are in a given system, the more complex the system’s behavior. New rules evolve that govern the…

Am I Equal to Shakespeare?

I am a poet and a playwright, and I am equal to Shakespeare.

Odds are, even if you haven’t read my poetry or plays, you read that and thought, “Who the hell does this arrogant idiot think he is?” Odds are, your thought wasn’t even quite that polite. There…

Nihilism and Capitalism

A Response to Alain Badiou

One should only pick fights with those one respects — the rest should be ignored so they can be lost to the dustbin of history. Or, if what they believe is dangerously ridiculous, one should simply submit them to…