Sarah Bakewell’s sweeping new survey of the philosophical tradition, “Humanly Possible,” says that putting your faith in human behavior means confronting complacency and nihilism — but it can be worth it.
We were not born to suffer, neither Argentines, nor French, nor any other human being on this earth. We were born precisely for the opposite, to free ourselves increasingly from all pain and suffering by humanising the world, which should be the central goal of our existence.
During this dark and horrible moment here and across the globe, I’ve been sending out a streaming version of the Following the Ninth to anyone who might find it useful, an uplifting message in a bottle as it were. — KERRY CANDAELE
No being – whether mammal, robot, computer, bird, slug, stone, or star – that is excluded from the category of humanity on the basis of its physical nature. Conversely, each and any being may qualify as human by demonstrating empathy for other beings.
At a time when the attack on reason as such is the stuff of everyday news, Steven Pinker reminds us of an important aspect of our society's intellectual legacy.
For the author of the work under review--much heralded by the reviewer--Czech novelist Franz Kafka was no chronic pessimist or dour, fatalistic misbeliever in human emancipation, but a consistent partisan artist siding with the humiliated.
Socialism can mean what we citizens wish for it to mean, by exercising our People Power! Hooray for Bernie Sanders! His vision and his rousing passion for the plight of the people is the greatest remedy for the painful ills of humankind that fear and greed have brought us. I warily approve of Hillary Clinton and would want for her "negotiating experience" to prevail. I've been joking for some time now about him teaching her, and teaming up. This would be powerful.
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