You may argue that theory is secondary: of course woke activists seek solidarity, justice, and progress. Their struggles against discrimination are animated by those ideas. But they fail to see that the theories they embrace subvert their own goals. Without universalism there is no argument against racism, merely a bunch of tribes jockeying for power. […]
Politics & Society
The influence of the basic themes of the philosophy of history on the social-theoretic argument of the Dialectic of Enlightenment is so strong that Adorno and Horkheimer cannot but comprehend the socially oppressed subject as a passive and intention-less victim of the same techniques of domination that are aimed at nature. It seems as if […]
In science, courage is to follow the motto of enlightenment and Kant’s dictum — Sapere Aude! To use your own understanding, having the courage to think for yourself and question ‘received opinion,’ authority or orthodoxy. In our daily lives, courage is a capability to confront fear, as when in front of the powerful and mighty, not […]
. Postmodern identity politics always makes yours truly come to think of Wolfgang Pauli’s famous quip — “Das ist nicht nur nicht richtig, es ist nicht einmal falsch.”
. At the heart of the Dunning-Kruger effect is the recognition that overconfidence in ignorance makes people with low ability or knowledge believe they are more capable than they are …
The conflicting attitude towards Nietzsche is instructive. It indicates that the Dialectic of Enlightenment owes more to Nietzsche than just the strategy of a totalizing critique. It is still difficult to understand a certain carelessness in their treatment of, to put it quite blatantly, the achievements of Western rationalism. How can the two advocates of […]
Day after day, the Israeli regime reveals its brutal face as starving children become deliberate targets. For over 75 years, Israel has pursued a policy marked by systematic displacement and colonisation. Palestinian families have been driven from their homes, their land confiscated, and their future stifled under the iron grip of occupation. What remains are […]
When a liberal society faces the question of granting special privileges, immunities, and political autonomy to one cultural group … it cannot compromise on fundamental human rights. Furthermore, those who understand liberal democracy as itself a way of life grounded in a distinct moral faith cannot in good conscience agree to allow schools or the government […]
. Bonhoeffer warned of societies where individuals surrender their moral and intellectual autonomy to authoritarian leaders or dogmatic ideologies. Viewed through this lens, Trumpism appears to embody the very perils Bonhoeffer predicted — demanding ideological conformity while marginalising independent moral judgment, elevating political expediency over truth and fostering a climate of reflexive allegiance, where critical […]
Inom vetenskapen är mod att följa upplysningens motto och Kants diktum — Sapere Aude! Att använda sitt eget förstånd, att ha modet att tänka själv och ifrågasätta vedertagna uppfattningar, auktoriteter eller ortodoxi. I våra dagliga liv är mod förmågan att konfrontera rädsla, som när man står inför de mäktiga och inflytelserika – att inte backa, […]