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Justin Clark

Public Historian & Digital Humanist
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Image: New York TImes

Image: New York TImes

The Exuberant Skepticism of Paul Kurtz

January 15, 2020

Paul Kurtz’s skepticism is so much more than debunking the supernatural or fact-checking dubious claims. It is a powerful tool used in the service of improving ourselves, the lives of others, our societies, and our planet. It is rooted in the Enlightenment tradition of Immanuel Kant, who encouraged us to “sapere aude,” or “dare to know.” We often focus on the “know” part of that phrase, as cliches abound on the importance of knowledge (“knowledge is power,” “knowledge is half the battle,” etc.). Yet, Kurtz’s skepticism also homes in on the value of daring, how seeking knowledge can not only give us the correct answer but can give us a better life. We should dare to know—with all of the successes and failures we’ll find along the way—because that’s what makes life worth living.

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In Philosophy Tags Paul Kurtz, Skepticism, Philosophy, Atheism, Science
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Image: Jeremy Bishop/Ling Gigi/Mark Seliger

Image: Jeremy Bishop/Ling Gigi/Mark Seliger

The Injunction of Happiness: Slavoj Žižek and Capitalist Buddhism

August 27, 2019

Buddhism in the western, capitalist context is the same kind of hollow experience that the fleshlight is for sex; it makes one feel better in the short term but doesn’t actually remedy one’s issues in the long term. In this variant, Buddhism is no more a challenger of our material conditions then right-wing Christianity. As Žižek writes, “Although Buddhism presents itself as the remedy for the stressful tension of capitalist dynamics, allowing us to uncouple and retain inner peace and Gelassenheit (self-surrender), it actually functions as capitalism’s perfect ideological supplement.” 

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In Philosophy Tags Slavoj Žižek, Žižek, Slavoj Zizek, Zizek, Buddhism, Capitalism, Mindfulness, Religion
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Dan Barker's "Harmonic Free Will"

July 27, 2019

For many, like the renowned skeptic Martin Gardner, the problem of free will is much like the problem of consciousness, something currently unsolvable based on our lack of knowledge or an insufficient framing of the question. However, what if we’re approaching this the wrong way altogether? What if we’re making this problem harder than we have to? This is author Dan Barker’s take on the problem, in his new book, Free Will Explained. Barker, a former fundamentalist minister turned atheist, uses his breezy tone and biting wit to address one of philosophy’s most daunting problems, one he thinks we’ve grown from a molehill into a mountain.

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In Philosophy Tags Free Will, Dan Barker, Philosophy, Book Review
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Photo by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

Photo by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

Essentialism and Humanism: Decluttering Your Life and Finding Your Purpose

July 27, 2019

I’ve learned about a philosophy of life that has completely reshaped my thinking about what it means to live well. It’s a lifestyle focused less on the amount of things, tasks, and relationships we accrue and more on the quality and intentionality of things, tasks, and relationships we bring into our lives. In short, it’s about finding what is essential for you to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

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In Lifestyle Tags Essentialism, Humanism, Marie Kondo, Minimalists
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