I compare Russell's response to skepticism about material objects in The Problems of Philosophy (1912) and Our Knowledge of the External World (1914). Notably, his view on simplicity changes between the two books.
Left Revolution & the Madisonian Model
The Madisonian model of American government is why mass movements in America tend to get co-opted and folded into institutional politics. This weakens mass movements, and is an issue if we want anything resembling a revolution in the United States. I examine what possibilities we have going forward to a Left American Revolution.
Asymmetries of Information: Intellectual Property & Social Capital
When we discuss inequality and injustice in our modern economy, should we put less emphasis on the asymmetries of ownership of physical means of production, and more emphasis on the unequal possession of knowledge and information?
I discuss ‘monopolies founded on intellectual property’ and ‘the economic role of universities to produce social capital’.
Notes & Reflections on "Does Human Nature Make Socialism Impossible?" with Adaner Usmani
THE Second IN A SERIES RESPONDING TO THE FOUR ONLINE 'ABCS OF SOCIALISM’ LECTURES.
I SUMMARIZE AND RESPOND TO Adaner Usmani’s ARGUMENT about how leftists should consider the role of human nature in society.
David Hume on the Foundations of Promises
David Hume provides a wonderfully structured argument about the nature of promises and the obligations they create between us. He argues that promissory obligation is incoherent without a history of pragmatic social conventions. This essay summarizes his argument and gives additional comments in the context of Margaret Gilbert’s book Rights and Demands.
Consequentialism and War-Crime Trials
I take a consequentialist approach to measuring the success of war-crime trials. Trials analyzed include the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Nuremburg Trials, and those after the Rwandan genocide.
Introduced in the essay is the concept of closure: a desirable end to conflict among all parties involved, arrived at by successfully addressing the ideological/societal rift at the root of the initial conflict.
The Liar's Paradox: A Supertask?
Self-referential and negating, the classic Liar's Paradox creates a contradiction that challenges our basic intuitions of semantics and syntax.
I present an often overlooked interpretation of the same statement, and similar, revealing problems arise.
Notes & Reflections on “Why Do Socialists Talk So Much About Workers?” with Vivek Chibber
The first in a series responding to the four online 'ABCs of Socialism' lectures.
I summarize and respond to Vivek Chibber's argument that Leftists need to refocus on the working class as a righteous and practical issue.
Knowledge as a Form of True Belief; Understanding as Forms of Justified Belief
An essay in response to Duncan Pritchard's views of 'knowledge' and 'understanding'. Written for Pritchard's class: Topics in the Theory of Knowledge.