Author Archives: Steven Yates

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About Steven Yates

I have a Ph.D. in Philosophy, taught the subject at a number of universities around the American Southeast, then became disillusioned in the profession, moved to Chile in 2012. I am the author of Civil Wrongs: What Went Wrong With Affirmative Action (1994), Four Cardinal Errors: Reasons for the Decline of the American Republic (2011), What Should Philosophy Do? A Theory (2021), and most recently, So You Want to Get a PhD in Philosophy? (2025). I've also published around two dozen articles & reviews in academic journals, and hundreds online on numerous topics ranging from pure philosophy to political economy. My Substack publication is Navigating the New Normal. I currently live near Concepcion, Chile, with my wife Gisela and our two spoiled cats.

What Should Philosophy Do? (Part 2)

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Steven Yates

Last week, we outlined four answers to this question, provided examples of each, and following a brief discussion of Comte’s Law of Three Stages and the rise of materialism as a philosophical dogma, brought our discussion to a tentative conclusion: … Continue reading →

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What Should Philosophy Do? (Part 1)

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Steven Yates

Inspiring this series of posts (I’m thinking there might again be three) is John Horgan’s series on “What Is Philosophy’s Point?” in Scientific American (five installments, here, here, here, here, and here). I should begin by saying that I am … Continue reading →

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Brian Eno Mix

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Steven Yates

I noticed a week or so back that the masthead on this blog includes, as one of our topics, “a little music.” There hasn’t been any music on here, though, or any discussions of it, not that I recall. I … Continue reading →

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And So It Begins. Thoughts on What Might Happen Next

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Steven Yates

Two days ago, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. His inauguration speech was unique (read it here; there are a few errors, all minor). It may go down in history as one … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Election 2016 and Aftermath, Political Economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pivotal Western philosophers no longer welcomed by students at this British university because of their color.

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Steven Yates

Plato? Descartes? Kant? Pivotal figures, all, who irreversibly changed the direction of what Richard Rorty called the conversation of the West. But to the up-and-coming generation of students, there’s a problem. Weren’t they all white males? With Plato it might … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Culture, Higher Education Generally, Where Is Philosophy Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “Two Americas”: Further Reflections

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Steven Yates

Last month’s lengthy post received some worthy feedback. I’d discussed the clash of two cultures in America (and elsewhere, but America was my focus). They both claim legitimacy for themselves but deny it to the other.  There is a distinct … Continue reading →

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Two Cultures, Two Americas — Post-Election 2016 Edition (Philosophical Reflections on an Empire In Decline)

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Steven Yates

The hostility of this election & the volatile mood of the country are indicative of two cultures, two Americas … unequal, unyoked, on collision course, & probably indicative of a nation in unavoidable decline. Continue reading →

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The Spat Over A Christian Philosopher’s Presentation Reveals the True State of the Profession: Wretched!

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Steven Yates

“The more the antics of hard-leftist professors with tenure can be exposed … in articles, on blogs, on Facebook, etc., the wider will be the realization that academic philosophy may be active institutionally but is intellectually dead in the water. The wider the doors may one day open to the writings of us outsiders in a troubled world hungering for meaning and actual critical thinking, the sorts of things philosophy traditionally pointed toward and provided.” Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Christian Worldview, Culture, Higher Education Generally, Philosophy, Where Is Philosophy Going? | 14 Comments

Eight Theses on the “Alt-Right”

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Steven Yates

Prior to Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s speech last week, I’d barely heard the term “alt-right.” Seems I am not a part of it, if for no other reason than that I am too old. What it appears to be … Continue reading →

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The 50 Most Influential Living Philosophers

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Steven Yates

Intriguing list of the “50 most influential living philosophers” at http://www.thebestschools.org/features/most-influential-living-philosophers/. Brian Leiter doesn’t much care for it, but this list seems to me reasonably balanced in offering representatives of, e.g., both Christian and atheist perspectives, Continental versus analytic philosophers, … Continue reading →

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