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.

Cycles and Stages of Civilization

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Steven Yates

Cycles and Stages of Civilization – furthers the statement that the Third Stage is dying, that the Fourth Stage cannot replace it, we cannot simply go back, and so we must pave the way for building a Fifth Stage of civilization. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Worldview, Philosophy, Political Economy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Materialism (Vers. 2.0, Part 7)

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Steven Yates

“Believe in me Once seemed a good line Now belief in Jesus Is faith more sublime…. Don’t be afraid Just treasure his word Singing his praises I know that I’ll be heard He’s gonna take you by the hand He’s gonna … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Worldview, Language, philosophy of mind, Philosophy of Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Materialism (Vers. 2.0, Part 6)

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Steven Yates

“Materialism Part 6” continues the discussion by asking, and answering, What is the Christian worldview? What sets Christianity apart from other world religions? Are the New Atheism and other manifestations of skepticism at all credible? Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Worldview, Culture, Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Materialism (Vers. 2.0, Part 5)

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Steven Yates

Continuing the discussion of how the materialist worldview has left Western civilization & culture morally adrift, & vulnerable to the forces presently destroying it from within. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Political Economy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Materialism (Vers. 2.0, Part 4)

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Steven Yates

Materialism (Vers. 2.0, Part 4) continues the discussion begun in Parts 1 – 3, asking whether any secular moral theories are sufficient to thwart modern tendencies toward relativism, nihilism, and abuses of money and power. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Worldview, Culture, Libertarianism, Philosophy, Political Economy, Uncategorized, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“What Is the Point of It All?”

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Steven Yates

Retired, elderly philosopher Herbert Fingarette (1921 – 2018) ponders death as he faces his, realizing that his previous abstract philosophizing about the subject falls short. Continue reading →

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Materialism (vers 2.0., Part 3)

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Steven Yates

Our discussion continues: what, precisely, is materialism? It is not simply the pursuit of wealth & material goods. It is a comprehensive worldview. It is important to understand this distinction to understand one of the most basic issues our civilization must eventually face. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Political Economy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Comment on Robert Greenleaf Brice, “Philosophy in the Contemporary World: Facts and Our Stubborn Attitude Towards Them” APA Blog, January 21, 2019

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Steven Yates

Comment intended for the APA Blog in response to article by Robert Greenleaf Brice on “Philosophy in the Contemporary World: Facts and Our Stubborn Attitude Towards Them” Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Election 2016 and Aftermath, Media, Philosophy, Where Is Philosophy Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Materialism (Vers 2.0, Part 2)

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Steven Yates

Materialism (Vers 2.0, Part 2): in “A Free Man’s Worship” (1903) philosopher Bertrand Russell called for a humanist ethic of respect for scientific truth, economic justice, and world peace. How well has this held up? Is its failure just the sign of a civilization’s growing pains, or of something fundamentally wrong with its key assumptions? Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Political Economy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Materialism (Vers 2.0, Part 1)

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Steven Yates

[Author’s note: this series of posts is a much-expanded and hopefully much-improved version of the series that began here, which is desirable to reprint lest it disappear from that site. The question that came to me was, Why not refurbish … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Where is Civilization Going?, Where Is Philosophy Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments