Tag: culture

  • Touchstone Terms: The Accursed Share

    Touchstone Terms: The Accursed Share

    This is a part of a series on terms and concepts that I find particularly resonant. We usually say that the fundamental rule of economics is scarcity: there are never enough widgets (food, housing, gadgets) to meet all the demand And even where we seem to be endowed with wealth, we still face opportunity costs for doing…

  • Hannah Arendt on Academic Freedom

    Hannah Arendt on Academic Freedom

    We often say that colleges and universities deserve some sort of freedom from political interference. But for Arendt, freedom just is politics. The idea of freedom from politics is largely oxymoronic for her, and involves fundamental misunderstandings of the component terms “freedom” and “politics.”

  • We Must Demand Professional Policing For All

    We Must Demand Professional Policing For All

    Consider the collective horror, shame, and disgust we philosophers have at the abusive behavior of our fellow philosophers: think of what it means to be compared to Colin McGinn or Thomas Pogge. Why isn’t there that kind of horror, shame, and disgust among police officers at the drumbeat of police shootings?