Category: Videos

New Video: The Ethics of Sex and Guns with Dan Demetriou

5/16/2023

In this provocative discussion, I interview philosopher Dan Demetriou about his work on sexual ethics and self-defense.

We discuss societal trends which are leading to Dan's (Gen Y) students having less sex than prior generations and being more sexually unhappy on the whole. Dan discusses statistics indicating a that high percent of young men today are sexless, why people are dating or getting married less frequently, and the negative implications that this may have for Western civilization. Dan also discusses his work on "sexual creepiness," why people get called creepy, and when it might be fair or unfair to classify someone as "creepy."

We also discuss self-defense, pacifism, and how Dan's argument for dignity informs the gun rights debate from a position that both left and right might agree on.

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Beauty in Philosophy, Ethics, and Art: A Conversation with David Fideler

4/19/2023

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In this engaging conversation, David Fideler and I delve into the rich history of ancient Greek philosophy to explore the concept of beauty as an objective quality of nature.

We discuss the ideas of Pythagoras, Plato, and the Stoics, and the ideas they held about beauty. In this highly illustrated video, we also explore the importance of harmony and proportion in nature and art, and how they were used to enhance beauty in ancient architecture and Renaissance paintings.

The conversation also touches on the connections between beauty, truth, and goodness, and the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophy that can still inspire us today.

Links: https://livingideasjournal.com/
https://therenaissanceprogram.com/the-renaissance-program-in-florence-italy/

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Overcoming Injury, Illness, and the Fear of Death: A Stoic Dialog With Jonas Salzgeber

3/9/2022

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I welcome Jonas Salzgeber, author of The Little Book of Stoicism, back to the channel for a Stoic dialog on matters of ultimate importance: injury, illness, coming to terms with mortality, fear, and irrational beliefs that result when fear overcomes reason.

We discuss the shortness of life, memento mori, facing fear, and the proper psychological perspective necessary to flourish and be more courageous during uncertain times.

We also discuss a Stoic response to the covid-19 pandemic, reasonable caution, and not doing irrational or discriminatory things because of fear of death.

Jonas' website: www.njlifehacks.com/blog/
The Little Book of Stoicism: https://amzn.to/3INdnOk*

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*Affiliate link, I may earn a small commission from any Amazon purchases.

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Why "Misinformation" and Censorship are Problematic

1/18/2022

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Recently we have been hearing the following types of claims: "X is misinformation, and x should be censored."

Here, I cover the reasons why each of these claims are problematic. Very few things are irrefutably misinformation. It takes arrogance to proclaim some things as absolute misinformation, and even more arrogance to want to censor them. This is why.

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Freedom and Flourishing: Why We Need Both for a Good Life

5/5/2021

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Freedom enables individuals to flourish in different ways, allows for growth of opportunities, and supports personal development by enabling individuals to exercise wise and well-informed self-direction.

My guest, economist Winton Bates, argues in a new book that Western freedom was more or less a happy accident of history. Loose it, and we may not get it back again.

We discuss the future of freedom, progress, personal growth, and a lot more in his new book, Freedom, Progress, and Human Flourishing.*

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Virtue Begins at Home With Intentional Family Culture

4/1/2021

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Brendan Malone, of Left Foot Media, a father of 5, gives wonderful tips on how to teach and model virtue to our children at home. One way to do this is to create an intentional family culture based on our specific moral values, that will act as a counterweight to the negative aspects of the culture that we find ourselves in.

How do we teach our children virtue? This issue was being discussed in a similar context back as far as the Enlightenment by thinkers like Locke and Rousseau. Rousseau thought that a parent's primary role is to be a buffer between their child and culture, rather than simply being an agent of the dominant culture. Rousseau described the insular and affectionate family that educated its own children as “the best counterpoison for bad morals.”

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The Core Critical Thinking Skills Necessary For Independent Thought

2/14/2021

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I was recently interviewed by Brittany Polat about the core critical thinking skills necessary for independent thought on her website, Living In Agreement, and how Stoicism can help us to think more clearly about the world.

We discuss logic, being slow to form opinions, having standards of evidence, separating truth from falsehood, being able to accurately evaluate other people's arguments, being open-minded, not being afraid to be wrong, changing your mind in light of better information, thinking with a degree of detachment, (rather than from a dogmatic or emotionally driven mindset) and a knowledge of cognitive bias and group dynamics.

Is there any group in which you automatically agree with all the opinions of the group? Are you in any group which views the “opposing” groups as evil, stupid, or weak? If so, some examination of your beliefs is probably in order. I suggest several ways to dig deeper and to think more independently throughout the course of this interview.

Books and resources to learn more about critical thinking:
https://www.commonsenseethics.com/blo...
The Well-Trained Mind book I mention: https://amzn.to/3jLpAHq *affiliate link http://www.triviumeducation.com/study...

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Is Honest Journalism Dead?

11/2/2020

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Why is there such lack of professionalism and ethics in journalism in recent years? My guest Brendan Malone of Left Foot Media and Monday Night live and I discuss the many problems with contemporary journalism and what can be done about them.

To be clear, there are some excellent journalists who try to adhear to time-honored standards of objectivity still doing great investigative work. However we focus on the general negative trends that we see occurring in media - bias, clickbait, dishonesty, illiberal cancel culture, and lack of humility, backed up by references to hard data where possible.

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Conservatism Is a Defense of Liberalism, Not Its Enemy

10/20/2020

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One thing creating unnecessary division in politics is that people don't understand that Conservatism as a political philosophy is actually a defense of Liberalism and not strictly its enemy.

Conservatism arose historically to defend Liberal Democracy against the inherent flaws in Liberalism. That actually makes Conservatism a branch of Liberalism.

Conservatism also seeks to defend Liberal Democracy against leftism and reactionism, which seek to overthrow Liberal Democracy entirely. That makes liberals and conservatives natural allies against illiberal extremism from the far left and far right.

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This One Idea Explains Most of What is Wrong With Politics

9/21/2020

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Why do governments tend to become more corrupt over time? It turns out that the best answer to this question may have been floating around for over 100 years, and I think everybody should know about it.

“Who says organization, says oligarchy," states Robert Michels, a German historian who produced one of the most scathing assessments of government ever written. He argues that bureaucracy and democracy don't mix. Michels is best known for the ingenious Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy, published in 1915. The book positively begs us to examine the maxim that power corrupts, and to seriously consider if democracy is nothing more than a idealistic impossibility.

Oligarchy is defined as rule by an elite or privileged few. Today people often use the word oligarchy to refer to a leadership class of corporate plutocrats, but what is less understood is how oligarchies form. Oligarchy is rule by a few to be sure. However, the concept of oligarchy in Michels' lexicon - the “Iron Law of Oligarchy,” - is both an explanation for how oligarchies originate, as well as a compelling critique of the inherently flawed structure of all forms of democratic government itself.

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<<Previous

New Video: The Ethics of Sex and Guns with Dan Demetriou

Beauty in Philosophy, Ethics, and Art: A Conversation with David Fideler

Overcoming Injury, Illness, and the Fear of Death: A Stoic Dialog With Jonas Salzgeber

Why "Misinformation" and Censorship are Problematic

Freedom and Flourishing: Why We Need Both for a Good Life

Virtue Begins at Home With Intentional Family Culture

The Core Critical Thinking Skills Necessary For Independent Thought

Is Honest Journalism Dead?

Conservatism Is a Defense of Liberalism, Not Its Enemy

This One Idea Explains Most of What is Wrong With Politics

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