Category: Philosophy
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21st Century Slavery – Now you see it – Now you don’t
What constitutes morality isn’t easy to define much less pin down. But what constitutes slavery most certainly is… right? Free will. Who’s got yours?
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Jane Austen and the Enlightenment
Underlying Enlightenment ideals was Locke’s assertion that the mind is a blank slate receiving and ordering worldly sensations for the benefit of the individual. With this, the focus shifts forward: the individual is valorised and self- interest legitimized- no longer is he encouraged to blindly follow established teachings (i.e. church, government, aristocracy). Instead he’s to…
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The Moral Maze of Self Interest
For although‘morality’ has meant many different things to many different people – the bottom line has always been – ouch – morality = self-interest.
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Truth and lies – do you know the difference?
While researching for my new novel – Lords and Lies – (excerpt above), I discovered that contrary to popular belief, there’s no agreement on what is truth – indeed finding one is a central aim of philosophy.
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Political Posturing or Master-Slave Morality – in the ‘Free World’
I suggest that those who so easily invoke ‘morality’ on their side, have given little serious thought as to what it might mean or perhaps more interesting – from whence the concept might come.
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Pluto’s 21st Century Trek Thru Capricorn Spells an End to 20th Century Economics
In a recent essay, philosopher John Gray suggests that John Maynard Keynes, one of the most influential economists of the 20th Century, would not have supported the ‘simple minded’ view that the only way forward is through government stimulation of the economy to facilitate a return to growth. The problem, Gray notes, isn’t just a…
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The Unexpected Benefits of Shame
In this context, shame is not a painful conclusion as it often assumed to be the case, but an joyous opportunity.
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Saturn & Jupiter in Existential Balance
Astrologically, we equate responsibility with Saturn. With Saturn, we undertake our duties and obligations seriously and in this way, we achieve. When things go wrong however, we’re more reluctant to take responsibility. Thus the downside of Saturn is fault and blame. In On the Genealogy of Morals (3:15), Nietzsche has suggested that fault and blame…
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The Dangers of Individuality – The Sabian Symbol for Today
With the Sun moving towards 24 Leo, the Sabian Symbol for today is an ‘untidy, unkempt man’. Usually with Leonine energy, we think of proud playfulness, openhearted generosity, and confident charm. But sometimes, it can all go wrong. The ruler of Leo is the Sun, which can be equated with the Ego – that part…