Philosophy
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Menahem Milson on the Meaning of Jihad
John David Lewis December 22, 2007
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has published a first-rate piece on the meaning of jihad: “Jihad Today” by Menahem Milson (Inquiry and Analysis Series, No. 411 , December 20, 2007). The topic of this piece is the concept of jihad—but the author’s abstract theme is that ideas matter. He…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
Mere Atheism
Craig Biddle November 5, 2007
During the question period of the otherwise unremarkable debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D’Souza on the question of “Is Christianity the Problem?” the following two questions were posed to Hitchens: 1) “What [does atheism] have to offer us as an ethics?” and 2) “What standard [of value] can you…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
Scrutinizing Scruton's Scrutinizing
Craig Biddle November 3, 2007
Roger Scruton challenges Ayn Rand’s concept of selfishness—by committing the very fallacy Rand identified as the cause of confusion on this issue.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
Good Press for Objectivism and Atlas Shrugged
Craig Biddle September 28, 2007
There is a good article in Forbes today, titled “Atlas Shrugs Again,” by Marc Babej and Tim Pollack, focusing on the recent swell of interest in Ayn Rand’s ideas and on what it takes to “market something as amorphous as a [philosophical] movement.” After citing some of the recent items…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
More on Ahmadinejad's Forum at Columbia
Craig Biddle September 24, 2007
In case the relativist “principle” guiding Lee Bollinger’s choice to invite Ahmadinejad to speak at Columbia was not clear enough in his earlier statement, here is a brief video of him making it even clearer. The “principle” is that anyone willing to “debate”—regardless of his complicity in the torture and…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Religion and Relativism: The Axis of Evil (Exhibit 723-B: Ahmadinejad's Visit)
Craig Biddle September 21, 2007
That the Bush administration is permitting Ahmadinejad to enter America for any reason other than to kill him on sight is a moral travesty. But, then, given that Bush and company’s philosophy counsels us to “resist not evil” and “turn the other cheek” and “judge not that ye be not…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
Journalistic Jabberwocky: The Classificatory Nonsense of Kay S. Hymowitz
Craig Biddle September 16, 2007
In an article titled “Freedom Fetishists: The Cultural Contradictions of Libertarianism”— which has been published in both Commentary and the Wall Street Journal—Kay S. Hymowitz has labeled Ayn Rand a “libertarian.” This would be unworthy of comment were it not for the fact that, as Rand herself put it, “the…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Regarding the Economic Costs of my Proposed Campaign against Iran
Craig Biddle August 25, 2007
Dear Craig, Thank you for this article on your blog, which I very much enjoyed, especially your "Mafia hitmen" analogy. In your article, you state "The way to accomplish [Iran's defeat] is by waging a massive bombing campaign from high altitude and long distance—and by sustaining this campaign until the…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
The Bush Administration's Latest Deadly Evasion
Craig Biddle August 23, 2007
The Bush administration’s plan to declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization is worse than a waste of time: It is an outright evasion of the Iranian assault on America. There is a good reason why the New York City Police Department does not make official pronouncements to the…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
Mediocrities Hold Their Ground
Craig Biddle July 30, 2007
After the avowedly mediocre philosopher Steve Gimbel launched an envious attack on human excellence in general and Ayn Rand in particular—in which he pricelessly attempts to intimidate those who revere excellence into revering mediocrity instead—he and some mediocre followers found themselves engaged with a few Objectivists whereupon they further demonstrated…