|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
Index for this page...
All The Following Items Were Posted On December 1, 2007 Private Property: Many people use the expression "private property" and even the word "mine" without being acquainted with John Locke's labor theory of property. They will find that theory stated with maximum clarity in Chapter V of his Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government. Everyone, according to Locke, owns himself by right and the power invested in his mind and his hands. This is the simplest declaration of the fundamental injustice of chattel slavery, which is the ownership of one human being by another. After this first step, Locke proceeds by distinguishing between the common and the proper. That which is not owned by anybody at all, yet may be used by all, are certain tracts of public land that the community makes available to all members and can be used by them in common. The famous Boston Common is an example of this distinction. Forgetting the existence of Indian tribes in the New World of America, Locke refers to a time when all the world was like America, given by God to all human beings in common for their invasion and exploitation. What any human being, invading this God-given common, appropriated to himself or herself by his own labor became his or her private property. When a man, for example, caught and tamed a wild horse, that became his horse; when he fenced in a plot of land and cultivated it by using his horse to pull tools that he himself made by his own labor, the resulting produce and the land itself became his private properties. Locke thinks that no one should appropriate more than he can store for a future day. Nothing should be wasted. Enough should be left in the common for others to appropriate. In one passage Locke considers the possibility of the solitary farmer employing another person to work for him. Let us consider this more complicated situation. Let Brown be the solitary farmer who, standing at his fence, accosts Smith, a passing journeyman, with a sack of clothes and other possessions slung over his back. Brown say to Smith, "If you will work for me during the next week, using my land, my horse, and my tools, I will give you a share of what is produced during the week." Smith voluntarily accepts these terms. That next week, Brown does no work at all. He stays inside his cabin, reading or thinking. At the end of the week, Brown pays Smith off to Smith's satisfaction, and Smith goes on his way. Brown keeps for himself that share of the produce which is left after Smith has been paid off. The question to be answered is: Did Brown rightfully earn that share of the week's produce which he claims for himself after he has paid Smith off, even though he himself did not do a strike of work during the week that Smith labored for him? Locke's answer to that question is affirmative. The reason is that even though the wealth acquired by Brown was not the result of his own labor, it could not have been produced by his servant if Brown had not put own productive property to work during that week. In other words, Brown is a capitalist who earns wealth without himself laboring but at the same time putting his capital (i.e., the means of production) to work. Source: Adler's Philosophical Dictionary: 125 Key Terms for the Philosopher's Lexicon. Have you a copy of this book in your personal library? If not, consider getting one. Read Max Weismann's review of this book by Clicking Here.
Baruch Spinoza (1632 - 1677) Modern Rationalist Philosopher "His passion was to think, not to believe. And as a thinker Spinoza possessed the capacity to soar, so soar he did, high above the limiting ideas of time and tradition to attain a level of thought than which nothing vaster and more cosmic can be imagined. Buffeted to hostile criticisms during his lifetime, excommunicated by his synagogue, disowned by his family, misinterpreted and attached for what he was not -- Baruch Spinoza has since been judged the brightest, noblest, and best loved of all Western philosophers." -- Professor James L. Christian. Read about Baruch Spinoza in The Radical Academy.
Source: Volume 1I of The Wisdom Seekers: Great Philosophers of the Western World, by James L. Christian. If you want an excellent and comprehensive history of philosophy, the two volumes in this set are among the best available. And I'm not just saying that because Professor Christian is a personal friend. I used his introductory textbook in philosophy -- Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering -- when I was teaching an introduction to philosophy course many years ago. J.D.
FOR THE RECORD 1. EDUCATION: Government Schools - Not Just Bad For Poor Kids "Proponents of educational choice tend to focus on the underprivileged, which is understandable given that low-income kids are overrepresented in failing inner-city public schools. "But an emphasis on the plight of the poor can leave the impression that middle-class public school students are doing fine. And that would be a false impression, according to a new book-length study by the Pacific Research Institute, 'Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle-Class Needs School Choice.' "Conventional wisdom holds that upscale communities tend to have 'good' schools, and parents often buy homes in expensive neighborhoods so their kids have a shot at a decent public education. But the PRI study, which focused on California, found that in nearly 300 schools in middle-class and affluent neighborhoods, 'less than half of the students in at least one grade level performed at proficiency in state math and English tests.' "Many of these schools were located in the Golden State's toniest zip codes, places like Orange County, Silicon Valley and the beach communities of Los Angeles. In areas such as Newport Beach, Capistrano and Huntington Beach, where million-dollar houses are commonplace, researchers found more than a dozen schools where 50% to 80% of students weren't proficient in math at their grade level. In one Silicon Valley community where the median home goes for $1.6 million, less than half of 10th and 11th graders scored at or above proficiency on the state English exam. "Schools serving middle-income kids are also doing a poor job of preparing them for higher education. Some 60% of freshmen in the California State University system need remedial courses." Source: Wall Street Journal editorial, "Worse Than You Think," 10/24/07. 2. HISTORY: MacArthur Memorial Raising Money For Expansion We can never forget one of America's greatest general, Douglas MacArthur. Recently, the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation has raised nearly $1 million for its "5 Star Campaign" to modernize and expand the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Va. The proposed $4.5 million expansion will triple the changing exhibit space, add a multi-media theater, and provide a great hall for visitor orientation. Contributions to the 5 Star Campaign are being matched by the City of Norfolk up to a total of $2 million. The 5 Star Campaign "will enhance and transform the visitor experience at the MacArthur Memorial for 21st Century visitors while preserving and presenting General MacArthur's enduring values of Duty, Honor, and Country," a release from the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation states. MacArthur, who died in 1964, served in World War I and later as Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific theatre during World War II. He oversaw the rebuilding of Japan and commanded United Nations forces during the Korean War. His Memorial's library contains MacArthur's 5,000 books, more than 2 million documents and maps, and some 150,000 photographs. Those wanting to contribute to the 5 Star Campaign can go online to www.macarthurmemorial.org. 3. FOREIGN AFFAIRS: FBI Thinks China Is Greatest Threat The Federal Bureau of Investigation believes that China poses the greatest threat to the U.S. in terms of espionage -- and that thousands of "front companies" in America have been set up to aid Chinese spying, according to the Maldon Institute. A new report from the respected think tank, titled "The Chinese Secret Intelligence Service," warns, "China's intelligence services today consist of a vast shadowy organization that employs approximately 2 million full- or part-time agents. "Federal officials in the United States, in numerous interviews during the past year, say and have said that there are more foreign spies operating in the United States than during the Cold War . . . "In size and numbers, no country now can equal the numbers of Chinese spies in our country." The report quotes David Szady, FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, who said in a recent interview that the Chinese spymasters "figured out that what they want is throughout the United States, not just embassies, not just consulates. It's a major effort." The Maldon Institute report states: "The FBI believes that for the next 10 to 15 years, China is the greatest threat to the United States. "The Bureau believes that today there are more than 3,000 'front' companies in America whose real job is to direct espionage efforts. Then there are thousands of Chinese visitors, students and business people: how many of them have tasks to perform for Beijing's Ministry of State Security?" A great deal of the FBI's information comes from the highest-ranking Chinese defector to arrive in Washington: Xu Junping, director of Strategy in Beijing's Defense Ministry. He claims that for five years he oversaw all operations against the U.S. and set up the business plans for the more than 3,000 Chinese companies launched to operate across the United States, according to the report. The report also intimates the success of the Chinese espionage: "An analyst in the Defense Intelligence Agency informed a colleague that during the past three years, the Chinese have stolen $24 billion worth of secrets, and that many of these items enabled Beijing to accelerate its space program . . . "The FBI also is following up on a number of investigative leads, such as who is funding individual Chinese students and which students, after graduation with a computer or other science degree, seek employment with a high-tech company." Source: NewsMax Insider Report GAMBLING IS FINE -- BUT ONLY FOR GOVERNMENT: Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is backing a bill to license three resort casinos in the state. Buried deep in the bill is a provision that would make it a crime -- punishable by jail terms of up to two years and a $25,000 fine -- for state residents to gamble online. Hmmmm... any connection there? Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/10/internet_gambling_is_a_target_of_patrick_bill/ WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY?: "The Portland [Maine] school board on Wednesday approved a measure allowing middle-school students to gain access to prescription birth control medications without notifying parents. The proposal, from the Portland Division of Public Health, calls for the independently operated health care center at King Middle School to provide a variety of services to students, including immunizations and physical checkups in addition to birth-control medications and counseling for sexually transmitted diseases, said Lisa Belanger, an administrator for Portland's student health centers." Source: The New York Times, Oct. 18, 2007. "Of course, to us libertarians, the best idea is to separate school and state altogether. ... Education is too important to be left to government. The freer parents and entrepreneurs are, the more innovative American schooling will be -- and the more kids will learn." Source: "With Government Money Come Strings" by John Stossel. "If the government is going to ban every activity that can lead to harmful compulsion, the government is going to have to ban nearly every activity. Shopping, day trading, sex, (eating) chocolate, even drinking water -- these and myriad other activities, most of which are part of everyday life, have been linked to harmful compulsions." -- professional poker player Annie Duke, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee about online gambling, November 14, 2007. Source: http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/article/10259/interview-annie-duke-part-two. Please Note: Items in the "For The Record" section do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Radical Academy. Nor is the Academy responsible for any misrepresentation of the facts included. It is your job to be a critical reader. We simply provide this information as a service to our visitors because we think it is interesting and/or relevant. Some of the information in "For The Record" may have been provided to us by one or more of the following resources: Advocates for Self-Government; NewsMax.com; The Patriot Post; Media Research Center; National Center for Public Policy Research; Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
COUNSELING CORNER: Some Serious Things To Ponder . . . I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes. Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead. Life is sexually transmitted. Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to? Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism. In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?" Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt." If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him? Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway? If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons? Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
A LITTLE OF THIS & A LITTLE OF THAT A Little Wisdom: Words are powerful things. They can make someone feel ten feet tall, or two inches small. Choose your words wisely and well. A Little Advice: Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together. A Little Question: " I know I asked for more ice in my drink steward, but don't you think THIS is a little ridiculous?" (1st class Passenger on the MS Titanic, 1912). A Little Put-Down: Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined. A Little Proverb: Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down. A Little Reflection: What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. A Little Definition: COMMITTEE - A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours. A Little Quote: "The trouble with the rat-race is that even if you win you're still a rat." -- Lily Tomlin (American comedienne). A Little Observation: There are people who laugh to show their fine teeth; and there are those who cry to show their good hearts.
Some interesting & provocative articles on other websites: The Turning of an Atheist, by Mark Oppenheimer: Unless you are a professional philosopher or a committed atheist, you probably have not heard of Antony Flew. Eighty-four years old and long retired, Flew lives with his wife in Reading, a medium-size town on the Thames an hour west of London. Thanksgiving or Mourning in Seattle?, by Gary North: Maybe you have heard about the psychologist employed by the Seattle public school system who sent out a memo to all teachers, warning them of the negative effects of teaching students about Thanksgiving. This had nothing to do with the issue of offering public thanks to the Non-Pluralistic Sovereign Previously Known as God. Philosophy student trapped by elitism, by Brett Snider: As a philosophy major, I know that there is a certain stigma surrounding the study of philosophy. There are likely to be playful jabs from friends and classmates that philosophy never accomplished anything, and that once one wades through the quagmire of semantics, philosophers are little more than idle minds who muse about unanswerable questions. Pop Goes Philosophy: Don't Keep Your Philosophy Under Your (Mr.) Hat, by George Reisch and Randall Auxier: Philosophy has gone pop, but some philosophers are confused about what that means -- or should mean. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education takes a look at Open Court's Popular Culture and Philosophy series and gives us a somewhat schizophrenic (or maybe bi-polar) verdict:... Why Secularism Is No Match for Radical Islam: America's "war on terror" proceeds from a political philosophy that treats radical Islam as if it were a political movement - "Islamo-fascism" - rather than a truly religious response to the West. Nietzsche and nihilism, by Keith Pearson: The whole idealism of humanity…is on the point of tipping into nihilism -- into the belief in absolute valuelessness, that is, meaninglessness… The annihilation of ideals, the new wasteland, the new arts of enduring it, we amphibians. New Atheism, by Ron Coody: A rash of bestseller books and international debates has brought several atheists into public prominence. They argue that we now know for certain that God does not exist because natural processes can explain everything from lightening to life, from the origin of the universe to the origin of your ability to read this article. "Train to Huxley's Dehumanized Brave New World has Already Left the Station": The meaning of human nature itself is under threat from a new philosophy of "soul-less scientism" that will undermine "our own self-understanding as human beings" and reduces the aspirations of mankind to the purely material realm. Secular Fundamentalists - Can atheists form a movement around shared disbelief?, by Michael Brendan Dougherty: The keynote speaker at the Crystal Clear Atheism Conference is making the audience uncomfortable: "It seems to me that we are consenting to be viewed as a cranky subculture," warns Sam Harris, author of the anti-religion bestseller The End of Faith. Lay down your ax and let the children find truth, by Christopher Suleske: Philosophy professor Stephen Law wrote something the other day which, as a father of two small children, caught my attention. The subject was "lying to children" ... . I appreciate his thoughtfulness on the subject, including his consideration of his own possible hypocrisy in the matter. Nietzsche -- the free spirit, by Keith Pearson: I regard Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) as the greatest philosopher of the modern period. We are still working out Nietzsche's revolutionary ideas and attempting to be equal to them. Many of us today live as Nietzscheans even if we are not explicitly aware of this (we have a moral liberality and we are proud of our complex natures). The world according to Ayn Rand - Does the controversial author give students a 'philosophy of life' or a misguided and extreme worldview?, by Madison Bettle: Many people have been called selfish as an insult by either their parents or their friends at some point in their lives, but for some, the notion of selfishness might be taking on a new meaning.
|
|
|
Newsletter Front Page |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
[Homepage] [Newsletter] [Search] [Support the Academy] [Link to Us] [Contact the Academy] [Citing Articles from Our Website] [Privacy Policy & Disclaimer]
Copyright 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2004-05, & 2006-07 by The Radical Academy. All Rights Reserved.