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
Philosophy
Existentialism, War, and Fascism
I have explored the actual intellectual currents and heritage of fascism in a series of posts here. The fact is, most of the people whom are called “fascist” are not fascist. The degradation of language is pernicious and indicative of the moral degeneracy of our current culture – though this is not a new phenomenon and has been … Continue reading Existentialism, War, and Fascism
Islamic Theology, Philosophy, and Theodicy
Within the context of Western philosophy, Islamic philosophy is generally added to replace “Orthodox” philosophy in the geographic sense. For various reasons I don’t want to get into, students of Western philosophy generally study Islamic philosophy ca. 8th century-Reformation, or at the very least, are given some familiarity with the most important Islamic philosophers during … Continue reading Islamic Theology, Philosophy, and Theodicy
Dialectic in the Hebrew Bible
In philosophy, dialectic means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It is, in its most simple form, the understanding of when two parties engage with one another in an inquiry or conflict that, upon finishing, leads to a closer understanding of the truth. We should avoid applying the Hegelian and Marxist … Continue reading Dialectic in the Hebrew Bible
Augustine on the Nature of Evil
Although Confessions is long-winded prayer and an autobiography, Confessions is also a work of profound philosophical and psychological importance. The first half of Confessions roughly deals with anthropology, the tension between desire and reason, and the need for reason to order desire to achieve what desire seeks. The second half of Confessions shifts to a more philosophical and theological commentary, which includes Augustine’s … Continue reading Augustine on the Nature of Evil
Immanuel Kant: On Perpetual Peace
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
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”
