Category: Philosophy
Skipping The Summer Reading
This essay is about reading gay porn before class. And it resurrects an Ideological Outrage Of The Day from 2012. And a graphic novel. And striking out romantically. And Richard Dawkins.
Questions From the Headlines
When headline writers use questions, Burt Likko answers them. Briefly, completely, and unabashedly expressing his own opinion. Ten questions about politics, the business of news, news of business, and grizzly bears.
Comment Rescue: Cultural Merits of Abortion
I’ve never done this before — promoted my own comment, that is. But I think I got a pretty decent thought out there.
Ben Franklin on the Quakers & Lack of Need For Govt. Support of Religion, Etc.
A brief gloss of the complex intellectual and spiritual harmony between the Founders and the Quakers.
Reasoning by Analogy is like Poisoning Kittens
The path to clarity is to talk about the thing that needs to be talked about, even if it is messy.
What’s the Matter with Poetry? On ‘The Consolation of Philosophy’
What did Boethius (and Plato) have against poetry?
Beyond “McCainism”
A gay blogger learns that reforming the GOP means focusing on bread and butter issues first, social issues second.
The Failure of Just War Theory
Instead of calling just war theory a fraud, as Damon Linker does, I would call it a failure.
Prolegomena to Any Future Parity in Philosophy
A recent spotlight on philosophical bad behavior stirs some ponderings.
We All Make Our Own Paper Tigers: Amy Chua and Why ‘Culture’ Doesn’t Displace ‘Race’ the Way You Think It Does
Too often when we talk about ethnic “culture” in America, we’re really just talking about race and pretending we’re not.
America’s Tiger Mom and the Totally Valid, Not At All Biased, Really Scientific Practice of Ranking America’s Cultures and Races
Famed Tiger-Mom Amy Chua’s new book helpfully lets its readers know which cultures and races in America are superior, and which are inferior.
The Awful Advice of “Marriage Isn’t for You”
The advice given in that “Marriage Isn’t for You” article going around is terrible. Yes, selfishness isn’t good for marriage, but then neither is self-neglect.
Bloodsport: Kant
Russia shows Ordinary Times how to take it to the next level. Let’s not actually go there.
Nazism is Dead, Long Live Marx
I recently wrote about how radical intellectuals are treated as ipso facto irresponsible or abhorrent in middlebrow American ideas magazines where little comprehension of their thought is even attempted. I was talking about the liberal-ish...
Cultural Kelvin
Awash in the reek of my own community’s orgy of modernity, I found Tim Stanley’s ablution most welcome: In the words of Joe Orton, “Cleanse my heart … let me rage correctly.” So what...
A leisurely Sunday afternoon riot
After we returned from an early dinner with friends late Sunday afternoon, we began to hear the reports of disturbances a few blocks away from where we live in downtown Huntington Beach. The annual...
According to David Brooks, All Morality is Local
I normally try to stay away from taking pot shots at David Brooks columns, but today’s raises a question that informs a lot of my political critique and which I reflect on a lot personally....
Hegel on the Playground
It is hard having children out-of-step with your friends. Ten months ago, you were down to hit the town on a Thursday night. You HAD been to the new noodles place, thanks very much,...
