Category Archives: Culture

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 →

Posted in Culture, Election 2016 and Aftermath, Political Economy, Political Philosophy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What Is It Like to Be a Lost Generation Philosopher (Part 3)

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Steven Yates

[Continued from Parts One and Two] Given that you pursued a career in academic philosophy, any specific regrets? One big one from my early days. Not turning my MA thesis on Paul Feyerabend into my first book. The idea was … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Culture, Higher Education Generally, Libertarianism, Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Political Economy, Political Philosophy, Where is Civilization Going?, Where Is Philosophy Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Is It Like To Be a Lost Generation Philosopher? (Part 1)

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Steven Yates

This is an “Imagined” interview. It is based on a proposal I made to the What Is It Like To Be a Philosopher website created by Clifford Sosis (Coastal Carolina University), not responded to for whatever reason, but it follows … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Worldview, Culture, Higher Education Generally, Libertarianism, Music, Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Political Economy, Political Philosophy, Science Fiction, Where is Civilization Going?, Where Is Philosophy Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A comment on, “A philosophical interpretation of recent campus protests” by Huenemanniac

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Steven Yates

What follows is a lengthy comment on this blog entry. I also came over here from Brian Leiter’s blog, and may be something of a johnny-come-lately because due to work obligations only saw this essay last night. Disclaimer: despite my … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Higher Education Generally, Libertarianism, Political Economy, Where is Civilization Going? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Higher Education and Race: Approaching the Nearest Cliff

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Steven Yates

Over the past month, we’ve been regaled by confrontations at an Ivy League school, Yale, and at the University of Missouri, involving allegations of supposed racism on campuses. The former involved supposedly “insensitive” Halloween costumes and a faculty member who … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Higher Education Generally | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why Do Highly Intelligent People Do Extremely Stupid Things?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Steven Yates

Academia, those who have spent any time there may have noticed, is a very strange place. Among other things, there is a certain amount of truth to those colorful anecdotes about absent-minded professors who, back in the days when chalkboards … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Age of Atheism and the Eight Veils.

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Steven Yates

Over the past month or so I’ve been reading Peter Watson’s The Age of Atheists: How We Have Sought to Live Since the Death of God (2014). I’ve almost finished it. If you are a believer in any sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment