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The ingredients of a perverse moral psychology?
The following is from Iris Murdoch and is the first of a few posts I want to use by way of sharing some of her thoughts on moral psychology and philosophy, as well as psychoanalysis. This one is not representative of those to come as I will not be commenting at length hereafter. Our source… Continue reading
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Marxist Socialism & Communism: Freedom after Capitalism
“Karl (Heinrich) Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary.” The essay that follows acknowledges the ongoing and pressing relevance of Marx and Marxism for philosophy, morality (including moral psychology), and political economy, as well, of course, for social and political actions… Continue reading
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The historical and political conditions and context of the Kent State shootings — May 4, 1970
First, I would like to share this blog post/letter from the UCLA historian Vinay Lal (a friend) who teaches at one of the many college campuses that have seen students protesting (encampments at more than 80 colleges, with additional forms of protest at many others around the country) the genocidal campaign, ethnic cleansing, and routine… Continue reading
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Psychoanalysis & Law: “jurisprudence of the future,” or, “We’ve Only Just Begun” (with apologies to the Carpenters, and the songwriters, Paul Williams / Roger Nichols)
“At one time man believed that reason was at the center of his mind, sole mistress of his origin and mind. Building on vague dreams and doubts of the past [including several philosophers, such as Plato, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche] Freud disproved such belief as an illusion. He met a revulsion and resistance which, more than… Continue reading
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May Day: a short introduction and readings
While the U.S. celebrates Labor Day (another telling instance of the ideological meaning of American ‘exceptionalism’) on the first Monday in September, May 1st is recognized around the world as a workers’ holiday, a global (or international) day of solidarity between workers of all nationalities. It was bound up with the struggle for the shorter… Continue reading
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Introducing “Legal Pragmatism”
My realistic perspective is informed by the classical pragmatism of William James, John Dewey, Charles Saunders Peirce, and George Herbert Mead. It builds on the notion that truths are established through the collective pursuits of projects in the world. Pragmatism is a method or orientation modeled on scientific inquiry, which is continuous with all human… Continue reading
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Thinking—and perhaps daydreaming—about “socialism”
OK, you cannot read everything, and you are uncertain as just where to start and, roughly, how much you need to read to begin to get some knowledge (or ‘sense’) of the background history and political context so as to arrive at a decent or minimal appreciation of the relevant or perhaps even better arguments… Continue reading
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Alain Locke: Critical Pragmatist, Cultural Pluralist, and “Father of the Harlem Renaissance”
I originally put this together on learning of the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, “The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism” (February 25 – July 28, 2024), I thought it would be a propitious opportunity to introduce the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance,” the philosopher Alain Locke, as well as some… Continue reading
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Thinking clearly and passionately about the values and purposes of science in light of democracy, ethics, and philosophy: a short reading guide
Apologia Without being either a practicing scientist or a philosopher of science, indeed, being simply someone with an ardent interest in the nature and practice of the sciences, an interest shaped largely by concerns and values intrinsic to democracy, ethics, and philosophy, I am providing a list of titles that, I believe, give one a… Continue reading
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The mature lifeworld of a man in his 60s who was raised a Catholic (and remains grateful for that upbringing and education)
[The paintings pictured here are from the Russian painter and art theorist (who later became a French citizen), Wassily Kandinsky (December 16, 1866 – December 13, 1944)] I find myself returning again and again to the following nuanced description of worldview identification and subscription by my late teacher and friend, the philosopher Ninian Smart. He… Continue reading