Rethinking Rationality
In previous analyses, I have demonstrated that while the Enlightenment-era axioms which undergird contemporary liberalism (and its relatives) have long been presumed as facts about “the way the world...
View ArticleA Primer on Social Epistemology
Much of what we believe is poorly-justified or believed in the total absence of evidence, or even in defiance of abundant counterevidence. So many cherished axioms are problematic or outright false—or...
View ArticleOn the Philosophical Underpinnings of Al-Qaeda & the Islamic State
The public discourse about transnational jihadist organizations indiscriminately lumps together al-Qaeda, its forerunners (such as the Taliban), affiliates (such as Jahbat al-Nusra), its derivatives...
View ArticleCredibility is about Outcomes, not “Resolve”
In wake of Vladimir Putin annexing Crimea into the Russian Federation and supporting Eastern separatists against a Ukrainian government it perhaps rightly views as illegitimate, U.S. policy hawks...
View ArticleFactions Speak Louder Than Herds
There is a growing body of research suggesting that when beliefs become tied to one’s sense of identity, they are not easily revised. Instead, when these axioms are threatened, people look for ways to...
View ArticleThe Islamic State’s Supposed Theology is a Dangerous Distraction
It is problematic to assert that the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) is not “Islamic” in large part because the assertion presupposes there is a “true” and a “false” Islam—one by which Barack Obama or...
View ArticlePamela Geller is No Rosa Parks
“In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man.” –Pamela Geller “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and...
View ArticleDrawing Muhammad, Civil Rights & Religious Liberty in America
At the height of the unrest in Baltimore, I wrote a piece for Salon pushing back against the kneejerk condemnations of the riots. In the piece, I argued that advocates of pacifism fail to understand...
View ArticleForeign Policy Fundamentalism
With pomp and polish and platitudes, the 2016 presidential campaign is underway. It began in December, as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced he was “actively exploring” a run for the White...
View ArticleOn the Philosophical Underpinnings of Conservativism
What do conservatives stand for? One popular narrative is that conservatives cling to tradition and resist change. There is an element of truth to this description in that conservatives do value...
View ArticleSocial Movement Requires Force
The post Social Movement Requires Force appeared first on Fiat Sophia.
View ArticleEpistemological Pluralism, Cognitive Liberalism & Authentic Choice
From Political Liberalism to Para-Liberalism Originally published in Comparative Philosophy, Vol. VII, No. 2 (Fall 2016) In “Perfectionist Liberalism and Political Liberalism,” Martha Nussbaum (2011)...
View ArticleWhy Conservatives Must Reject Trump’s Homonationalism
In a RNC nomination acceptance speech widely maligned as dystopian, Donald Trump received rare mainstream media praise for asserting: “Only weeks ago, in Orlando, Florida, 49 wonderful Americans were...
View ArticleThe Big Debate About Microaggressions
The concept of microaggressions gained prominence with the publication of Sue et al.’s 2007, “Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life,” which defined microaggressions as communicative, somatic,...
View ArticleProgressive Social Researchers Need Conservatives (Now More Than Ever)
Beginning in the late 18th century, post-secondary education was restructured across Europe—in part under the auspices of accelerating the transition to an envisioned rational and secular age.[1] In...
View ArticleSocial Movement Requires Force
“It is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable...
View ArticlePamela Geller is No Rosa Parks
“In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man.” –Pamela Geller “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and...
View ArticleDrawing Muhammad, Civil Rights & Religious Liberty in America
At the height of the unrest in Baltimore, I wrote a piece for Salon pushing back against the kneejerk condemnations of the riots. In the piece, I argued that advocates of pacifism fail to understand...
View ArticleForeign Policy Fundamentalism
Originally published in The Wilson Quarterly, Vol. XXXIX, No. 3 (Summer 2015) Print version available here. With pomp and polish and platitudes, the 2016 presidential campaign is underway. It began...
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