Stephen R.C. Hicks's Blog

Lecture One: Why Philosophy of Education? The Radical Greeks, from Homer to Aristotle Themes: “Philosophy” of “Education.” Your ideal school. The radical Greeks. Parents as first teachers: bedtime stories. Homer as educator. Contrast to Ramayana and Gilgamesh. Arachne and Athena. Core issues: Religion. Questioning. Human-centered. Method: Socratic (e.g., conversational, discussions after story). Content: Aristotle on […]

The original interview is Spanish is published at Tras la Identidad. Below is a translation into English. A COALITION AGAINST THE WESTStephen RC Hicks, philosopher and professor, October 1, 2025 Stephen RC Hicks is a philosopher and author of, among others, texts such as “Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault”, a book […]

The original interview is Spanish is published at Tras la Identidad. Below is a translation into English. A COALITION AGAINST THE WESTStephen RC Hicks, philosopher and professor, October 1, 2025 Stephen RC Hicks is a philosopher and author of, among others, texts such as “Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault”, a book […]

“I esteem it above all things necessary to distinguish exactly the business of civil government from that of religion and to settle the just bounds that lie between the one and the other.” Lecture Three: The Promise of Individual Empiricism. John Locke Themes: Empiricism. Tabula rasa. Individualism. Liberalism. Toleration. Church and State. Henry VIII. Shakespeare. […]

Remembering when I retired a favorite old t-shirt. The text read: Jean Paul Sartre’s answering machine… I am not here… You’re not here… Don’t leave a message… There is no beep Some angst at letting it go.The meaning of its 21 years of existence?Was it only to cover a man’s torso?And now it is committed […]

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804): “I had to deny knowledge in order to make room for faith.” And: “All human reason is wholly incompetent to explain this [morality], and it is a waste of trouble and labour to try. … According to my account of the supreme principles of morality, reason can’t render comprehensible the absolute necessity of an unconditional […]

James: “We should all feel conscious of our work as an obligatory service to the state. We should be owned, as soldiers are by the army.” And: Dewey: “A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience.” About the Course In this eight-lecture […]

My lecture, “What Moves History: An Introduction to the Philosophy of History”, was given at an Atlas Society’s summer conference several years ago. In the lecture I refer to a flowchart, which is available here: Social Dynamics [pdf]. Audio: Related: Hegel’s influential Philosophy of History, in the Philosophers, Explained series:

This lecture was given in English to UFM’s Psychology Faculty in October 2024. Themes: Two anecdotes from the history of medicine * Why we live in revolutionary times * What an entrepreneurial mindset is * Why it’s essential for careers in this new era of robotics and AI * How entrepreneurism can re-focus one’s self-education […]

A course by Stephen R.C. Hicks, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy. Eight lectures on how philosophy influences strategic decisions about education: curriculum, teaching methods, assessment, teacher selection, and school architectural design. (Trailer.) Professor Hicks connects the philosophies to the major historical eras’ approaches to education, including ancient Greek, early Christian, Renaissance Humanism, Enlightenment liberal education, Prussianism, […]