Our age is, by and large, one that we might describe as individualistic. What precisely is meant by individualism is not always clear, though I believe there are some common tendencies in the way that this word is used today. This notion was perhaps best captured by J. S. Mill in his seminal On Liberty,Continue reading “A Note on the ‘Individual’”
Tag Archives: Theory
Poems & Poetry
The nature of beauty and its reality as something ‘objective’ or ‘real’ has, as far as I can tell, been utterly corroded in recent centuries. As someone who loves poetry, I have found that many people resist my preference for formalized poetry and my tendency toward lofty themes. When I argue that poetry should helpContinue reading “Poems & Poetry”
Socialism & Modernity: Considerations from George Grant
For P. T. K., an ever-enlightening interlocutor Socialism is a topic that, like many other contemporary “-isms,” I do not think has a particularly stable definition. One can provide rough histories of the topic that either associate it with the theorizing of figures like Karl Marx or reasonably connect it to the workers’ movements ofContinue reading “Socialism & Modernity: Considerations from George Grant”
On Being “Open Minded” – Pt. 1
The culture of our contemporary anglophone world, to my eye, seems ordered toward the ideal of ‘toleration.’ There is much wrapped up in this claim, but the general thrust is that we believe in some form of individualism and therefore want to allow each person to pursue life as he or she sees fit –Continue reading “On Being “Open Minded” – Pt. 1″
Dialectics and History
Plato is well known to have composed his philosophical texts in a dialogue form. Most frequently, he places the historical person of Socrates in the center of his dialogues; the great philosopher who wrote nothing down then engages with various other historical characters, more or less antagonistically, depending on the dialogue, and questions them aboutContinue reading “Dialectics and History”
Specific Acts, Constitutive Identities, and the Religious
When I first reembraced my Faith, I had about a two or three week period when I went to the church nearest my apartment to pray for about thirty minutes each morning in the daily services. I did this because I did not know how to pray (I still do not, really, but now IContinue reading “Specific Acts, Constitutive Identities, and the Religious”
Some Notes on Humour
You know – nostalgia just isn’t what it used to be… A somewhat niche topic of interest to me has been the philosophy of humour. It is not a booming field, and I recognize that many people do not like to critically unpack jokes – I am sure many of us have had the gruelingContinue reading “Some Notes on Humour”
A Note on Agentic Attribution
Now, how’s that for a pretentious title? The good news is, what I hope to briefly highlight herein is not so highfalutin and annoying as the title. Nevertheless, some may still be irritated because what I am discussing is, in some ways, a criticism of one way that people speak metaphorically despite that my concernContinue reading “A Note on Agentic Attribution”
Reason & Revelation: Questioning Our Beginnings
I have recently had the pleasure of returning to the work of Leo Strauss, a man who has become somewhat unfashionable in universities despite having much purchase throughout the last half century. The precise reason for why he has been cast aside by many is not quite clear to me, though perhaps it has toContinue reading “Reason & Revelation: Questioning Our Beginnings”
Assigned or Received?
I came across a clip from a philosophy-focused Youtuber who was discussing the odd nature of what it means to support a sports team. He ventures through a number of logical dilemmas with his guest that are all quite preposterous; they tend to rely on rather bizarre circumstances that, as far as I know, haveContinue reading “Assigned or Received?”
Hoping for Clarity 