Further proof of my claim that Lisa is the successor to Nicki Minaj and Kanye West

First published on 12 September 2022. I have come across an array of YouTube remixes which confirm my year-old idea that Lisa is the successor to Nicki Minaj and, therefore, Kanye West. The victories of Nicki Minaj and Lisa at the MTV Awards night, with Nicki winning the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award and Lisa winning … Continue reading Further proof of my claim that Lisa is the successor to Nicki Minaj and Kanye West →

Staying alive: What role does consent play in Hobbes’ Leviathan?

Submitted as a university essay in spring 2020. ‘Consent’ in Hobbes’ Leviathan plays the role of legitimating the state, primarily for the sake of securing survival. Hobbes uses consent as a legitimation story to preserve and pursue (1) the survival of the citizen, sovereign, and Commonwealth, (2) the honour of the citizen, sovereign, and Commonwealth, (3) natural and theological justice, … Continue reading Staying alive: What role does consent play in Hobbes’ Leviathan? →

The part and the whole: Can Plato’s city satisfy everyone?

A university essay submitted in autumn 2019, after reading Plato's Republic over the preceding summer. While Plato’s city can partially satisfy at least one part of the soul for everyone, it cannot fully satisfy every part of the soul each person can satisfy. Even if we take Plato’s premises for granted, his city can fully … Continue reading The part and the whole: Can Plato’s city satisfy everyone? →

Survival, community, and freedom: An accelerationist manifesto for conservative civic socialism

The left and its project of equality can seem to have two enemies: the centrist project of liberty and the right-wing project of community. All these moral positions also seem to miss the realist emphasis on survival. But I think there is a way of having our cake and eating it — building a left-wing … Continue reading Survival, community, and freedom: An accelerationist manifesto for conservative civic socialism →

Time of Ending

This world is ending Dying Robert Frost’s poem. The last Elizabeth age Eclipsed By the moon The dark side Has won All is lost But there is one who can Save Us all His name is Salvator Mundi He only asks for Power For you I was entrusted With the task Of giving power To … Continue reading Time of Ending →

Nietzsche, Foucault, and the bridge of power

Mass culture has ironically deemed the central ill of western civilisation as ‘the lust for power’. The alternative is human affection and interpersonal love, in the form of familial or friendly ties, or, alternatively, transactional commercial deals. Power, however, is dangerous because it is impersonal, abstract, and therefore a potential alternative to the ruling abstraction: … Continue reading Nietzsche, Foucault, and the bridge of power →

The politics of truth: A manifesto

We live in undeniably dark times. News headlines of death and despair abound. In such a climate, politics is hardly seen as our salvation. Indeed, politics is seen by many as the problem. One reason given for the decay of our political institutions is that politicians lie. The phrase ‘fake news’ also abounds news headlines … Continue reading The politics of truth: A manifesto →

The diamond theory of everything

What matters? What matters historically? What matters morally? These questions plague any politically- or philosophically-minded person. In his magnum opus, On What Matters, philosopher Derek Parfit considered the last question: what matters morally? Parfit’s answer relates to what I’m going to consider in this post, but it’s not too central. For Parfit, moral statements are … Continue reading The diamond theory of everything →