Contending with God: Philosophical Theism, Humanism and the Transcendent

There is a tradition stretching back to the Greek Presocratic philosopher Thales of supposed proofs of God’s existence expressed in philosophical and logical language independent of any doctrine or personal confession of faith, even though these, explicitly in some cases and in others presumably, motivated at some level the enterprise involved in setting forth such… Continue reading Contending with God: Philosophical Theism, Humanism and the Transcendent

Donald Trump, High Prophet of Neoiconoclasm

One thing that both Trump’s critics and his supporters can probably agree on is his being the cause of a major reconfiguring of the world order as he calls time on a plethora of US and global institutions. But is it the case that these changes are a consequence mainly of his agency? Or is he merely uncovering fault lines which have existed for some time?

The Diversity Deficit in the Moral Sphere

This is a presentation made at the 5th ICHJA conference in Korea. We argue that an important first step in the pushback against cultural socialist hegemony is in recognizing and publicizing the ways in which it is being exercised and in understanding the contours of the contemporary moral landscape which facilitate the hegemony. There needs… Continue reading The Diversity Deficit in the Moral Sphere

Blessed Are the Equity-Deserving

We trace the origins of the concept of equity in the promotion of social justice in Canada. Rather than preventing denial of opportunities and benefits it has entrenched the same through the designation of “disadvantaged” groups whose members are deemed “equity-deserving”, in contrast to the others who are not. The UK should learn from the backlash this is generating in Canada.

The Decline of Virtue

It was observed by Haidt (2012) based on his moral foundations theory that the difference in perspective between liberals and conservatives is not so much in the values they espouse as in the weights they assign to them, with liberals in particular citing the embodiment of care (kindness) as the overriding moral imperative at the… Continue reading The Decline of Virtue

Beyond the Culture Wars – An Enactivist Approach

To understand the Culture Wars which characterise much of what passes for political debate in Anglophone countries these days, it is important to understand their roots in identity politics, defined as political or social activity by or on behalf of a racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, or other group, usually undertaken with the goal of… Continue reading Beyond the Culture Wars – An Enactivist Approach

On Stereotyping, Part 2 – Should stereotyping be considered harmful?

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In Part 1 of this article where I asked Is it OK to stereotype people?, I pointed out how modern cognitive science, understood in particular in terms of the paradigm of Active Inference, leads us to conclude that stereotyping is intrinsic to all observing, understanding and learning. So any attempt to stigmatise people for engaging… Continue reading On Stereotyping, Part 2 – Should stereotyping be considered harmful?

On Stereotyping, Part 1 – Is it OK to stereotype people?

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It is a commonplace assumption that stereotyping people is a bad thing which we should do our utmost to avoid. Perhaps this is a position you would agree with, on the grounds that it is wrong to make generalisations since this can result in us misjudging people and potentially treating them unfairly. But I would… Continue reading On Stereotyping, Part 1 – Is it OK to stereotype people?

Don’t be a victim! Beyond the culture of entitlement and anxiety

A paper that came out in 2014 by two sociologists, Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning, made the argument that with the rise of a more diverse and egalitarian culture, particularly in the academic world, combined with the rise of powerful administrative sectors therein, a new form of social morality has emerged that they referred to… Continue reading Don’t be a victim! Beyond the culture of entitlement and anxiety