by W.D. James Heroes fight monsters. The protagonist of Beowulf must defeat Grendel and then his mother who threaten the mead-hall of a Danish king. The mead-hall essentially represents homeliness and the monsters are those who threaten that. Further, monsters are unnatural; this is reflected in their physiology but also in their perverse values and … Continue reading Monsters (The Myth of Philosophy 2)
by W.D. James In 399 BC, an Athenian court condemned and then executed a stonemason who had served honorably in several of her wars. The man, like most condemned criminals throughout history, left no written record of his life and doings. His father had likewise been a stonemason and his mother a midwife. Though 70 … Continue reading Socrates as Hero (The Myth of Philosophy 1)
by W.D. James In light of our reflections thus far, ‘humanism’ takes on a new significance. Previously, humanism indicated viewing the world from the perspective of human needs, human values, and human nature. It still does, but the very existence of the human reality is in question. Further, the concept was rather watered down over … Continue reading Renewed Humanism (Politics of the Heart, Part 5)
by W.D. James Totalitarianism is different from despotism, dictatorship, or tyranny. It does not only command the body but it colonizes the soul. Totalitarianism is interested in the psyches of its subjects to a greater degree than traditional authoritarianism is. It seeks to remake the human psyche in its own image. Theorists from Hannah Arendt … Continue reading The Order of the Soul (Politics of the Heart, Part 1)
by W.D. James Marx and Engels famously begin The Communist Manifesto (1844) with the provocative invocation: “A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism.” To stick with the Marxist-Hegelian terminology, I think this is just one manifestation of a more enduring spectre or ghost or spirit that has haunted us for a very long time. … Continue reading What Spectre Haunts Western Political Thought?
winter oak 