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.

The Fundamental Unsolved Problem in Political Philosophy

Political philosophy I define as the philosophical study of social governance. Note, I did not say government, as there are political philosophies (anarchism is the obvious example) which urge us to do away with specific institutions devoted exclusively to governance … Continue reading

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Scholarship “In the Doldrums” as Elderly Generation Dies Out and Is Not Replaced

Our point of departure for this week’s article will be a remark by philosopher Harry Frankfurt, best known as having authored the colorful little tract On Bullshit (2005) which, significantly, may be the only work by a professional philosopher to … Continue reading

Posted in Where Is Philosophy Going? | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Welcome to this Blog

Hello. I’ve had this WordPress title for quite a while, but have only recently decided to use it. To those who have found their way here: welcome. What’s this all about? I am a Lost Generation Philosopher. What’s a Lost … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy, Political Economy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments