Biology and Evolutionary Social Theory in the early and mid 19th Century While efforts to understand the process of social change during the Enlightenment were envisioned as a form of “social Newtonism”, evolutionary social theory in the early and mid-19th century increasingly looked to Naturalism as its model science. At the same time, Empiricism, … Continue reading Evolutionary Social Theory Chapter Two: Overview
Evolutionary Social Theory: Chapter One Overview
Chapter One Social Newtonism and the Origins of Evolutionary Social Theory Introduction In this chapter I examine the origins of Evolutionary Social Theory and its relationship to Political Economy during the Enlightenment. I argue that social theory during this period can be usefully thought of as “Social Newtonism”, by which I mean the application … Continue reading Evolutionary Social Theory: Chapter One Overview
Introduction to Evolutionary Social Theory
This is the current Introduction to my book, Evolutionary Social Theory which I anticipate will be forthcoming with Routledge within the next year. I anticipate having a completed draft of the study in approximately 3 months. As you may note reading back over this blog, there have been substantial modifications in the scope of this … Continue reading Introduction to Evolutionary Social Theory
Beyond Garcetti
In the case of Meriwether v. Shawnee State University, the Sixth District Court of Appeals has now reversed the previous rulings in the case. The previous rulings in the case, following Garcetti v. Ceballos had held that public University and College Professors had no First Amendment rights in the classroom whatsoever. Now the Sixth District … Continue reading Beyond Garcetti
The 18.25th Brumaire of Donald Trump
In The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte Marx wrote: Hegel remarks somewhere[*] that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. Caussidière for Danton, Louis Blanc for Robespierre, the Montagne of 1848 to 1851[66] for the Montagne of … Continue reading The 18.25th Brumaire of Donald Trump
Evolutionary Social Theory: Progress
After a significant amount of additional research and some initial difficulties in actually getting my thoughts down on paper, my book project, Evolutionary Social Theory is now well underway, with two draft chapters essentially complete. I have an official contract with Routledge and I'm working on a two year timeline with a goal of approximately … Continue reading Evolutionary Social Theory: Progress
The Elections: What Lessons Can be learned?
As the results came in on election night, it initially appeared that Biden had lost the Presidential elections and that the Democratic Party had suffered a disastrous loss. With the votes now mostly counted however, it is clear that the final performance of both Biden and the Party while not the "blowout" anticipated, were also … Continue reading The Elections: What Lessons Can be learned?
Dueling Cancel Cultures
This post was edited to incorporate relevant information which I was not aware of when I first wrote it. This information adds perspective to the issue, but it does not undermine my original argument. Recently, a number of prominent media pundits and academics published a letter in Harper's Magazine and elsewhere calling for both Justice … Continue reading Dueling Cancel Cultures
Epistemology and COVID 19
In the 20th Century, the philosopher Karl Popper drew the boundaries of demarcation between science and pseudoscience in terms of falsification. Exactly what Popper did and did not mean by falsification can be disputed. But the history of the philosophy of science throughout the 20th century has at leats taught us that distinguishing warranted and unwarranted claims … Continue reading Epistemology and COVID 19
Ohio’s Free Speech on Campus Bill
The Ohio has recently passed Senate Bill 40 , aka "Forming Open and Robust University Minds Act". It will most likely be signed by the governor, thus creating a State Law to protect the free speech clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution at Ohio public universities. The bill would bring an end … Continue reading Ohio’s Free Speech on Campus Bill
