education

EP #54 | Socialism: Scientific or Religious?

While communist/socialist/social democratic have always had a scientific-pseudoscientific verneer about it, time has worn away much of this verneer, exposing much of the ideology as hyper-idealistic/proto-religiousist in many regards. Despite this verneer being largely washed away, many if not the vast majority of communists/socialists refuse or cannot see their views as anything except entirely rational. In this podcast, Professor Stephen Hicks delves deep into this phenomenon.

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EP #40 | Defending Explaining Post Modernism: Cuck & Multiversity

Two intelligent, non-professional responses to my book explaining postmodernism. A study in contrast. Content, method, and civility.

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EP #37 | Thomas Kuhn’s De-Structuring Science

Thomas Kuhn was professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, a classic in the history and philosophy of science. Still relevant to our philosophical and cultural debates over science, for Kuhn challenges claims that science is or can be an objective process based upon observational facts that makes progress toward truth.

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EP #36 | Democratic Socialism for Beginners

In contemporary times, most socialists have shifted away from overtly dictatorial socialism. Among the younger, there is some level of awareness of its terrible history but they still think of it as an ideal to be striven for despite obvious concerns. What are the aims of democratic socialist, what do they wish to achieve and how will they achieve their goals? Should socialism be Monarchical, Aristocratic, or Democratic? Who should have power over you: one person? An elite group? The majority?

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EP #34 | Eight Socialists Define Socialism

Who are the most important socialist intellectuals and politicians in history? We here offer quotations from eight prominent socialists, representing a wide geographical and temporal range. The quotations illustrate the author’s motivation for advocating socialism, the actions necessary to bring about socialism, and/or the expected results of socialism. What common characteristics best define socialism?

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EP #33 | Young People’s Socialism

Where are young socialists in their thinking? What expressions of socialism are meeting their mark rhetorically? What does socialism mean to them and what values do they think socialism is advocating?

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EP #32 | Bootleggers and Baptists or Snowflakes

A generation ago the slogan of campus activist was, speak truth to power. Why has there been such a dramatic change in just one generation?

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EP #31 | Hazony Attacks the Enlightenment

On December 30th 2019, the YouTube channel Prager University released a video narrated by bible scholar and political theorist Yoram Hazony discussing the Enlightenment. Hazony makes eight major claims about the Enlightenment and while there are some thoughtful arguments against the Enlightenment, Hazony has not made them. In this episode of Open College, Dr. Hicks points out the flaws in Hazony’s augments and shows why this video is an example of special-pleading history.

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#25 Thales’ Revolution

The standard claim is that philosophy begins with Thales. Why did philosophy come into being in a clusters of cities on the coasts of Asia minor? Ascribed to Thales by Aristotle: “The first principle and basic nature of all things is water, ”and “All things are full of gods.” Why do historians of philosophy get worked up over these lines?
To see their significance, let’s set a context by going back to the worldview of the awesomely great Homer. So brush up on The Iliad, which I want to use as our pre-philosophy-worldview contrast object.

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EP 14 | Why Steve Jobs Hated School

Did Steve Jobs fail to adapt himself to the system, or did the school system fail to fit Steve Jobs? A Japanese team of investigators recently came to the United States to study its school system. Japan is a successful nation, prosperous and dynamic in many areas. But the team had a question: Why does our country have so few innovators?

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