Category Archives: politics

Notes on a Lecture of Susan D. Collins – “E Pluribus Unum: Citizens, Friends, and Free Thinkers in the Ancient City”

These are my notes; feedback appreciated, I did what I could to be clear. You can watch the original lecture here. Susan Collins teaches at the University of Houston and is the co-author of a translation of Aristotle’s Ethics. If you’re interested, an interview with her. Can ancient thought guide current political practice? There are …

April 25, 2013 – 10:20 pm | By ashok | Posted in aristotle, philosophy, politics | Comments (0)

The Impersonal University

For this discussion: Mike Rice, the administration and Rutgers faculty | Preserving class at Princeton When I first started in political philosophy, I wondered about the French “liberty, equality, fraternity” versus the whole of American history. All of American history is the tension between liberty and equality, with we the people at various times emphasizing …

April 6, 2013 – 10:39 pm | By ashok | Posted in academia, politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Briefly Noted: Leo Strauss, “German Nihilism”

Leo Strauss, “German Nihilism” (in Interpretation Vol. 26 No. 3 Spring 1999) 1. At first, the value of Strauss’ lecture seems to be that of a historical document. It is delivered in 1941 shortly after the fall of France and before it is clear the U.S. will enter war. Strauss, a German Jew, asserts that …

March 17, 2013 – 7:04 am | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Let’s talk about the ways fundamentalists can abuse each other and create a society of 10 year olds

I don’t think the author meant to be bullying, and I do think this attempts to be more satirical than mean, but experience has taught me that this is not innocuous in the least So that link above is a really good look at where I go to school. A lot of things I’ve struggled …

February 21, 2013 – 4:19 am | By ashok | Posted in education, politics | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Conservative Self-Pity and the Demagoguery that Enables It: A Response to Mark Levin

I vote Republican and have given money to GOP candidates. I’ve worked on one campaign in a fairly substantial role and I was happy to chip in when I could in smaller ways throughout the years for the cause. I am going to continue voting Republican, but I want a different party, one not overcome …

January 12, 2013 – 4:58 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (2)

Bioshock 2: Libertarianism, Transhumanism and the Will to Believe

Spoilers galore ahead 1. I finished Bioshock 2 last night. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the opening – mind control makes you shoot yourself in the head 30 seconds into the game, then you resurrect 10 years later – the idea of Rapture (the city you explore) is one of the best premises …

January 6, 2013 – 12:54 am | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, politics | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Let’s Talk a Little about Sports in American Life

1. To those of you outside the United States who are curious: we do not just have professional sports leagues like the NFL and NBA. Nor are there just minor league teams, like the farm teams each associated with a Major League Baseball team. No, we also have collegiate athletics. There are plenty of student-athletes …

December 27, 2012 – 11:51 am | By ashok | Posted in education, politics | Tagged | Comments (0)

“I have to deal with lunatics hellbent on being idiots.”

Another reminder I’m not a superhero: I only need to deal with idiots being idiots. Murdock delivers this all-too-perfect line after dealing with a woman who sets his hair on fire and attacks him with two swords while singing to herself. Did I mention I love comic books? Thinking a lot recently about why sexism …

November 26, 2012 – 4:25 am | By ashok | Posted in personal, politics | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Want Better Conservative Media? Start Small

1. Some conservatives are worried that they’ve created an echo chamber distancing themselves from the rest of the country. (Of course, there are those who are not as worried.) I can’t emphasize enough that the vast majority of pundits and media outlets and campaign operatives and consultants are after your money. Those who aren’t after …

November 24, 2012 – 9:00 pm | By ashok | Posted in media, politics | Comments (0)

A Reputation for Justice: Plutarch, “Life of Aristides”

1. Aristides was an Athenian politician renowned for his justice during the Persian Wars. His main rival was Themistocles, who saved the people of Athens as the city burned. Themistocles was successful working in the name of expedience; his swift rebuilding of Athens’ walls set the stage for Athens’ imperial rise. What did Aristides achieve? …

November 19, 2012 – 12:29 am | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, politics | Tagged , | Comments (0)