Among Immanuel Kant’s famous essays is his essay “To Eternal Peace” (alternatively titled “On Perpetual Peace”). In this essay, published in 1795 right at the onset of the French Revolutionary Wars, Kant follows up on his philosophy of history by offering deep contemplation on the nature of unfolding history and constitutions to peace among nations. … Continue reading Immanuel Kant: On Perpetual Peace
Author: Hesiod
Immanuel Kant: “History with Cosmopolitan Intent”
Immanuel Kant wrote many important books, but he was also an important essayist—and some of his most important philosophical reflections, with longstanding and consequential legacies, were written as essays. One of his most famous essays, with a rich consequential legacy, was “Idea of Universal History with Cosmopolitan Intent.” One of the first elaborations on the … Continue reading Immanuel Kant: “History with Cosmopolitan Intent”
Max Weber on the Monopoly of Violence
The monopoly on violence is one of the key characteristics of modern public law, modern political philosophy, and is the famous definition of the modern state according to Max Weber in Politics as a Vocation. As Weber wrote, “every state is based on force.” In this post I will explore this idea concerning the monopoly of … Continue reading Max Weber on the Monopoly of Violence
The Philosophical Sociology of Max Weber
Max Weber is considered one of the most important (if not the most) social scientists of the 20th century. Weber is widely read in philosophy, since a lot of sociology falls under philosophical sociology. Weber was noted for his support of the fact-value distinction, which led Weber’s assertion that choice should be conducted with extreme … Continue reading The Philosophical Sociology of Max Weber
Johann Gottfried von Herder’s Philosophy of “Kultur”
Johann Gottfried von Herder is one of the most important transitionary figures in German philosophy. Perhaps along with Fichte, Herder was actually one of the most influential philosophers after Kant but largely forgotten in the Kant to Hegel canonical study that dominates most philosophical departments and continental surveys. Nonetheless, Herder was instrumental in pioneering the … Continue reading Johann Gottfried von Herder’s Philosophy of “Kultur”
Typology and Logos in the Gospel of John
The opening prologue of the gospel of St. John is theologically rich, puzzling, and poetic, thereby imbuing it with rich symbolism and imagery. The declaration that “In the beginning was the Word…[and] through him was life, and that life was the light of all humanity. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn. 1:1-5), … Continue reading Typology and Logos in the Gospel of John
Leo Strauss: Natural Right and History
Leo Strauss is a polarizing figure to some; those who have never read his works and indulge in wanton conspiracy theories assert he was some sort of closet fascist and the godfather to the neo-conservative movement in America. The accusations of Strauss as a war-mongering imperialist has been refuted by many scholars, so there is … Continue reading Leo Strauss: Natural Right and History
Becoming Mortal: The Humanization of Achilles in “The Iliad”
As some might know, I frequently write essays on Homer and his greatest song—The Iliad—and am in process of completing a manuscript on The Iliad as a cosmic love song that laid the foundations for the birth of humanism in Western civilization. “Rage—Goddess—sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” Perhaps only the opening lines of … Continue reading Becoming Mortal: The Humanization of Achilles in “The Iliad”
Islam, Islamism, and the Crisis of the Political
Is Islam a political threat? That might depend on where you live. Is there a distinction between Islam and Islamism. Some say yes. Others say no. Naive leftists who are anti-political (in the Schmittian sense) believe the universal ark of fraternity triumphs over the tribalisms of politics. The boisterous liberal right, spearheaded by anti-religious libertarians … Continue reading Islam, Islamism, and the Crisis of the Political
The Sexual Sublime and the Sublime Reality of Death
Sex and death are the greatest realities of the sublime. The sublime, as articulated by Edmund Burke, is “Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain, and danger, that is to say, whatever is any sort terrible, or is conversant about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, … Continue reading The Sexual Sublime and the Sublime Reality of Death
