For all the reminiscing over the “good old days,” some things do improve with time. We may never succeed in eradicating prejudice, but the past century saw the United States make tremendous strides toward eliminating racial and gender-based discrimination. Though still a work in progress, the effort to curb intolerance towards homosexuality has also gained …
Author Archives: Felix York
Essay: Nietzsche Is Dead
Modern academia exhibits a strange incongruity. The physics professor who assigns Aristotle to her students is a laughingstock, but the metaphysics professor who assigns Aristotle is typical. The ancient philosopher is equally comprehensible in either context. Historically, he exerted at least as much—if not more—influence in the empirical sciences as …
Dissent: No, You Open the Door
One wonders whether any social convention would withstand Garbanzo’s exacting scrutiny. Standing for the National Anthem is a hassle. Handshakes probably disperse more pathogens than any other unnecessary human activity. Holding the door seems fairly innocuous in comparison; tell me the last time it ever killed a man.
But holding the door has its benefits. When …
Concurrence: What’s Wronger with the Internet
Goodwin is right to not overstate his claim; the meaningless pursuit of the completion high (and all the vices that accompany it) can be found amongst myriad modern media. But while his analysis on the issue is illuminating, I cannot help but feel that part of the argument is missing. For his lament to gain …
Dissent: The Perilous Price of Progress
The previous discussions conflate two separate but related concerns implicated by the echo-chamber phenomenon: first, that it calcifies political opinions; and second, that it fosters political extremism. I agree with Mr. Goodwin that modern media augment, rather than discourage, engagement with alternative ideas. However, this tale of optimism ignores the protective shroud the Web affords …
CONCURRENCE: WHY PENCILS HAVE ERASERS AND HUMANS HAVE TORT LAW
Mr. Goodwin is right that the accidental infliction of harm is not, on its own, immoral. Mistakenly taking someone else’s umbrella is not theft; accidentally bumping into a passer-by is not a shove; rear-ending another driver is not battery.
But that’s only half the story. Blameless as one may be, the umbrella must be returned, the …