Why Stoicism is a scam

In the TV series The Dropout, Elizabeth Holmes cites Yoda’s dictum, ‘Do or do not — there is no try.’ But what *should* we do? Marcus Aurelius, who ruled after the most peaceful time in the Roman Empire and before the most violent time. Coincidence? For Yoda, we will do what is right only when … Continue reading Why Stoicism is a scam →

Hobbes, the Person of the State, and the Beginnings of Balance

In the beginning, there was a simple thing — be that nothing, something, or everything at once. From this simple, eternal implosion of reality exploded the elaborate fantasy of this divided physical realm. Perhaps even then there were seeds of division immanent to the physicality of this world. Before time and space, however, can we … Continue reading Hobbes, the Person of the State, and the Beginnings of Balance →

The rise and fall of the private state

There are three characters in our play of politics: Capital (or the economy), Commonwealth (or the polity), and Culture (or the society). Hobbes’s Leviathan: free from privatisation? To privatise a state (Hobbes’s ‘commonwealth’), capital either: Weakens commonwealth, allowing culture to dominate (indirect privatisation); orStrengthens itself to such a degree that capital can dominate (direct privatisation). … Continue reading The rise and fall of the private state →

What it means to be human

What does it mean to be human? There are few questions more basic but also more difficult to answer. So, let me start as all answers to hard questions must. With a story. Meet Australopithecus africanus. An early human (Creative Commons). Yesterday, I sat as countless numbers of students before me have sat. In an … Continue reading What it means to be human →