Have you ever wanted a concise but also in-depth exploration of Plato and Plato's political philosophy? After all, he was not only the first "philosopher" of the West but also the first political philosopher of the West. In fact, removing Plato from the context of political philosophy does tremendous harm to understanding Plato and engaging … Continue reading Book on Plato
“Since we believe that God is truth…” is the famous opening of St. Anselm’s treatise on truth (De Veritate). Anselm was an 11th century Catholic philosopher and cleric in England, and one of the cross-pollinated Catholic thinkers whom Anglicans, at least historically, liked to claim as their own. As such, he is a canonized saint in … Continue reading St. Anselm “On Truth”
In this episode of Literary Tales we offer a reading of Euripides: The Bacchae and Medea. In Euripides we find very modern themes of power, feminism, and masculine domination. As such, we might go as far as to say that Euripides was the prophet of modernity and put his thumb on the very issues we are now grappling with. Visit … Continue reading Euripides: Poet-Prophet of Modernity
Socialism and diversity are all the rage in politics today. Yet the two do not go together. Ever. In fact, those who preach the benefits and value of diversity ought to extol how free markets create diversity and help sustain it. The history of the battle between free economics and collectivized, or controlled, economics is … Continue reading Capitalism and Diversity
Ben Weider and Michel Franceschi have written an unapologetic apologia for Napoleon Bonaparte. This is unsurprising given that the two men are French, or more specifically Ben Weider was a Jewish emigre in Francophone Canada while Franceschi is a retired French general. To be simplistic, portraits of Napoleon are usually thus: European and especially Anglophone … Continue reading A Much Needed But Failed Apology for Napoleon: A Review of Ben Weider and Michel Franceschi’s “The Wars Against Napoleon: Debunking the Myth of the Napoleonic Wars”
Arguably the most important philosophical, literary, and intellectual movement of the last two centuries was not Marxism, but Romanticism – even Marxism drew upon Romanticism. Romanticism influenced everything from arts and literature, to philosophy, politics, economics, nationalism, radicalism, conservatism, and revolutionary philosophies. Among the most important of the early Romantics was Johann Gottlieb Fichte, a … Continue reading The Economic Philosophy of Fichte
One of the problems of the Napoleonic Wars is dealing with the downfall of Napoleon. Most of us are probably familiar with the story: Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. While he was immensely proud and filled with hubris, Napoleon performed well—even capturing Moscow. Then Winter came and disaster struck. Winter, moreover than the Russians, spelled … Continue reading Russian Genius Without Crediting Winter or Stalinist Hagiography: A Review of Dominic Lieven’s “Russia Against Napoleon”
Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most misunderstood and confusing philosophers of modernity. A rebel against historicism and Hegelianism, he was nevertheless a radical historicist and Hegelian in his own right. A critic of Christianity (specifically the Catholic version), his own metaphysics and philosophy mirror that of traditional forms of Catholicism. A humanist and anti-nihilist, … Continue reading Nietzsche on the “Death of God”
The “Left”-“Right” paradigm is famous in political science though generally eschewed in political philosophy as generally meaningless and unsubstantial, at least without important qualifications. The history of the Left-Right paradigm arose during the early days of the French Revolution where the opponents of the monarchy sat to the king’s left in the National Assembly and … Continue reading A Philosophic Overview of “Left” and “Right”
Nietzsche is one of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted, and generally vilified modern philosophers. Many people charge him with being a nihilist, and others claim him as a nihilist because they are nihilists. This is patently false. Nietzsche was an anti-nihilist and opposed nihilism. The key to Nietzsche, which is the key to understanding the Nietzschean … Continue reading Nietzsche and Self-Overcoming
In this episode of Literary Tales, we contrast Homer’s Iliad against Hesiod’s Theogony to reveal the stark break from the poetic past and how Homer’s Iliad is really a cosmic epic of love and forgiveness caught in the rapture of war: Homer's "Iliad" as a Love Epic
