Friday Philosophy

Michael Huemer takes on wokeness and other progressive shibboleths—and he wins with an easy takedown.

In this week‘s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon looks at Allen Wood‘s attempts to salvage Marx‘s theory of exploitation. While Dr. Gordon acknowledges Allen‘s expertise in 19th-century philosophy, he notes that Allen truly misunderstands economics.

Most Americans think of Abraham Lincoln in hagiographic terms, the man who “saved” the United States from destruction. A closer look gives us a different picture of “Honest Abe.” David Gordon reviews a book that very much questions the Lincoln mythology.

Harry Jaffa suggested that Americans should adopt a “civil religion,” with Lincoln as a quasi-divine figure. This, of course, makes the state into a quasi-divine institution. 

Rose Wilder Lane, known for her many writings, also has been a favorite of libertarians. In this week‘s Friday Philosophy, David Gordon reviews a book based on her columns in the Pittsburgh Courier from 1942-45 on race and race relations.

Auron MacIntyre has amassed a following in conservative circles, and David Gordon notes that while MacIntyre makes some good points on governance, he has much to learn about how free markets work.

Perhaps John Maynard Keynes' best con job was convincing people that a growing economy needs inflation, lots of inflation. As David Gordon points out, however, Ludwig von Mises eloquently explained why inflation undermines the free market economy.

Ralph Raico presents the fundamental political problem of the twentieth century, which remains our fundamental political problem today: How can war—given its appalling destruction—be avoided?

Modern academics are relentless in trying to find any nuances they can from the works of Karl Marx, but they miss the larger issues with his work. Marx was alive and active when the marginalists logically took apart his value theory, but hope springs eternal for Marx‘s supporters.

Marx is often portrayed as motivated by love of the working class, but, starting from the time he was a university student, he displayed contempt and hatred for the masses he deemed beneath him.