Allan Ramsey, David Hume, 1766.
5,513 words
2020 was a bad year for David Hume (1711-1776). Leftists in the United Kingdom, eager to get in on the feast of outrage that followed the drug overdose of George Floyd, complained that David Hume was a racist and should therefore not be revered. And then things went more or less as you would expect. (more…)
William Powell Frith (1819-1909), A May Day Celebration (private collection)
6,740 words
Throughout Europe and the United States, the chill mornings and blossoming trees of spring are giving way to summer’s warmth and abundance. As the midway point between spring and summer, the month of May has historically been a season of great importance to the peoples of Europe, a joyful time of sowing, revelry, feasting, and courtship. (more…)
First page and inset of Ernest Hemingway’s War Department-issued overseas visa
1,173 words
As I stroll lackadaisically through life’s pollen-belching daffodil fields, it occurs to me that I’ve never seen a depressed person with Down syndrome. No matter how sad their lives may look to outsiders, down to the last pumpkin-headed man and woman they seem blissfully ignorant of how they may appear to others. They happily embrace life as if they are clutching a fistful of multicolored balloons. (more…)
“Off with her head!” An original illustration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland (1864)
7,655 words
The Sphinx-riddle. Solve it, or be torn to bits, is the decree.
— D. H. Lawrence
A question, readers: what is the most profound of all human activities? With the previous sentence, I’ve already provided the answer, for it is the question itself — the thing that drives all exploration and philosophy. How can philosophy (or any knowledge) exist without first the riddle, the profound need for the answer? (more…)
Socrates and Xanthippe
7,763 words
Part 1 of 2
Author’s Note:
On August 24th, 1999 I began a lecture course called “What Socrates Knew” with a lecture called “Thirty Socratic Theses.” What follows is a transcription of the first half of the lecture by V.S. The thirty theses are listed below, as are links to the audio of the lecture.
3,128 words
English original here
Tytuł tego eseju jest poniekąd mylący, ponieważ zamierzam dowodzić, że filozofia ma znaczenie dla wszelkiej ludzkiej aktywności, nie tylko dla polityki. Filozofia jest nie tylko metapolityczna, ale „meta-wszystko”[1]. Ale wiem, że moi czytelnicy zainteresowani są zmianą polityczną, zatem był to mój wybieg, aby zachęcić Was do lektury. Co więcej, twierdzę, że filozofia nie jedynie znacząca dla życia, ale jest sprawą najwyższej wagi. (more…)
3,898 words
English original here
Le titre de cet essai est quelque peu trompeur, puisque je vais arguer que la philosophie est pertinente pour tous les efforts humains, pas seulement la politique [1]. La philosophie n’est pas seulement métapolitique, mais méta-tout [2]. Mais je sais que vous vous intéressez au changement politique, donc c’était mon hameçon pour vous faire lire. (more…)
1,737 words
Editor’s Note:
The following text is an excerpt from Plato’s dialogue Eythydemus translated by Benjamin Jowett. Here Socrates seeks to convince Cleinias, the son of Axiochus, who is something of a “dumb jock,” and thus a tough sell, that wisdom is of paramount importance to the good life and that philosophy, as the love of wisdom, is thus the noblest of pursuits. (more…)
71:41 / 198 words
Audio Version: To listen in a player, click here. To download the mp3, right-click here and choose “save target as.”
To subscribe to our podcasts, click here.
The following lecture is an introductory treatment of Plato’s dialogue Laches. It was given on December 20, 2000, to a circle of friends and students in Atlanta. (more…)
3,526 words
The title of this essay is somewhat misleading, since I am going to argue that philosophy is relevant to all human endeavors, not just politics.[1] Philosophy is not just metapolitical, but meta-everything.[2] But I know you are interested in political change, so that was my hook to get you reading. Furthermore, I will argue that philosophy is more than just relevant to life, but of paramount importance.