Category Archives: philosophy

Fantasies, facts and values

The Western cultural tradition, which combined various elements (religious, intellectual, scientific) into a rich and resilient and trans-national framework of thought and practice, is all but dead. Witness, for example, the increasingly propaganda-ridden media environment, the absurdities of identity politics … Continue reading

Posted in culture, philosophy, politics, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Fantasies, facts and values

Machine Trumps Ghost

It is—time flies—now thirty years since the appearance of The Closing of the American Mind, an anniversary noted by Alexander Riley in The American Conservative. The whole thing is well worth reading, but this passage caught my attention: Some elements … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy | Tagged , | Comments Off on Machine Trumps Ghost

The American Conservative’s Commitment to Truthiness?

Rod Dreher at The American Conservative – which could easily be referred to as the “Rod Dreher Show” given his incredibly productive posting habits (he’s reportedly responsible for about half the site’s traffic) – writes that SJWs (Social Justice Warriors), like … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy, Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

“On the Ideology of Anti-Islamophobia”

An interesting criticism of the notion of “Islamophobia,” translated from French, has made an appearance at Charnel House, a Marxist blog that’s nearly equally fascinated by architecture. (They say the last remaining Marxists are to be found in English departments, but … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy, Race, Religion | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

They Like Murray Bookchin, Not Murray Rothbard

Here’s an interesting piece on Kurdish Syria, wherein the influence of American far-left thinking on the region’s secular politics is explored. Specifically, its influence on Kurdistan Workers’ Party co-founder Abdullah Ocalan, who is currently languishing in a Turkish prison: One of … Continue reading

Posted in Odds & Ends, philosophy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on They Like Murray Bookchin, Not Murray Rothbard

Cognitive Dissonance in Paris

After reading this piece from Haaretz dubbed “In Paris Neighborhood Heavily Hit by Terrorists, Residents View Attackers as Victims,” one wonders if the idea of the “liberal mugged by reality” is itself more fantasy than real-life: They aren’t angry, at … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy, Religion | 2 Comments

‘Antiracism: Our Flawed New Religion’

That’s the title of John McWhorter’s excellent piece at The Daily Beast. He looks at the rhetoric of the Blacks Lives Matter movement and its acolytes and finds all the trappings of a new and only nominally secular religion. It’s … Continue reading

Posted in culture, philosophy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ‘Antiracism: Our Flawed New Religion’

Everywhere is Nowhere

In an admiring review for The Week of theologian David Bentley Hart’s new book, The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss, Damon Lineker writes that it “demolishes” the “straw man Atheism” of those who treat “God as if he were … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy, Religion | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

On The Random Walk

The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates has just been reading Tony Judt’s Postwar (which I have yet to tackle, but plan to) and cites that book, together with Tim Snyder’s Bloodlands (which I reviewed here) for a grander thesis about the failings … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Such Sweet Suffering

The Wall Street Journal has interviewed “eminent bioethicist” (itself a contradiction in terms) Leon Kass. The trigger was the Gosnell trial, but it was this aspect of Kass’s remarks that drew my attention: Dr. Kass sometimes finds himself at odds … Continue reading

Posted in philosophy, Religion, Science & Faith | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment