All posts tagged: American History

10 Mind-Bending Quotes from Greek Philosophers

10 Mind-Bending Quotes from Greek Philosophers

Published by Sam Flores

Published: Jun 4, 2026written by Matt Whittaker, BA History & Asian Studies Busts of four ancient Greek philosophers, left to right; Socrates, Antisthenes, Chrysippos, and Epicurus   Greek philosophers are often called the fathers of philosophy. They are regularly quoted not just by philosophers, but by anyone looking for a deeper understanding. What made this all possible came from the early shift from myth to reason and widespread literacy that enabled the sharing of ideas. What are some of the most inspiring, influential, and mind-bending quotes from ancient Greek philosophers, and what do they mean?   Philosopher Quote Heraclitus “No man ever steps in the same river twice…” Socrates “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Antisthenes “If there were no absurdity, there would be no wisdom.” Democritus “Nothing exists except atoms and space; everything else is opinion.” Epictetus “First say to yourself what would you be; and then do what you have to do.” Aristotle “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Diogenes …

What Albert Camus Wrote About the Nauseating Reality of the Guillotine

What Albert Camus Wrote About the Nauseating Reality of the Guillotine

Published by Sam Flores

Published: Jun 2, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary The death penalty is a second sickening act of violence, not a just solution that brings peace to society. Camus argued the state’s true motive is primitive revenge, masked by euphemisms because society is ashamed of the reality. The condemned man suffers two deaths: the psychological torture of waiting and the final physical execution itself. A secular state lacks the right to execute, as it requires a pretense of infallibility that it does not possess. Show more   The death penalty was abolished in France in 1981, with the last execution taking place in 1977. Albert Camus wrote ‘Reflections on the Guillotine’ twenty years earlier in 1957. His argument against capital punishment is not primarily based on sympathy for the condemned but on the legitimacy of the state’s right to take life. Camus concludes the essay with a warning against allowing the state the power to decide who in society must die. To do so, he argues, requires the pretense that agents of the state have god-like infallibility.   Sickening …

Why ‘A Happy Death’ Was Albert Camus’s Most Shocking Novel

Why ‘A Happy Death’ Was Albert Camus’s Most Shocking Novel

Published by Sam Flores

Published: Jun 2, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy   In this article, we examine Camus’s first novel, its shocking content, and possible reasons he came to abandon it. A Happy Death shares a lot of similarities with Camus’s masterpiece The Stranger. Their central characters, Patrice Meursault in the first novel and Mersault in the second, are almost identical, with “u” in the surname making only difference. However, there are also crucial differences in what motivates these two characters. Here, we look at the two most shocking differences between the works: the killing and the way others are treated.   Situating the Text Albert Camus in Paris, 1957. Source: Los Angeles Times.   Albert Camus’s first published novel was his 1942 masterpiece The Stranger (L’Étranger). It was published alongside his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, and both works introduced Camus as a serious player on the French literary and philosophical scene. However, prior to writing The Stranger, Camus worked on a novel that dealt with similar themes, shared a central character, and even included whole …

Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism vs. Neoliberalism: What’s the Difference?

Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism vs. Neoliberalism: What’s the Difference?

Published by Sam Flores

Published: Jun 1, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary Capitalist realism is the belief that capitalism is the only viable system, making it seem impossible to imagine alternatives. The concept is critiqued for not being clearly distinct from the political and economic doctrine of neoliberalism. Fisher argues even anti-capitalist resistance is absorbed and commodified, making genuine opposition feel impossible within the system. The article claims Fisher’s thesis is weakened by a deference to authority rather than presenting original, persuasive arguments. Show more     Mark Fisher was a blogger, social critic, cultural theorist, and academic philosopher. He made two strong claims in his 2009 work Capitalist Realism: Is there no alternative? First, what he calls ‘capitalist realism’ is a historically specific ideological formation within late capitalism. Second, this formation forecloses the imagination of viable alternatives. The second claim is considerably more ambitious than the first. It is unclear how Fisher’s concept of ‘capitalist realism’ is analytically distinct from neoliberalism as an economic and political doctrine. But even if we accept that ‘capitalist realism’ designates a unique configuration of capitalism, this …

Camus’s Story of Humiliated Workers Who Cannot Express Their Feelings

Camus’s Story of Humiliated Workers Who Cannot Express Their Feelings

Published by Sam Flores

Published: May 31, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary The story reflects Camus’s personal feelings of betrayal and humiliation after the harsh criticism of his essay The Rebel. The workers’ silence after a failed strike is a powerful expression of their humiliation and inability to communicate. A central theme is the failure of communication between social classes, even when faced with shared human tragedy. The story explores a shared human fate, contrasting the workers’ struggles with the universal realities of aging and death. The protagonist Yvars embodies the conflict, longing for his youth while trapped in a present defined by defeat. Show more   “The Silent Men” tells the story of humiliated workers who are unable to communicate their feelings. Albert Camus wrote it after the fallout that followed the 1951 publication of his controversial book The Rebel. Shocked and dismayed by the vicious criticism he received from those he had previously regarded as friends and allies, Camus felt betrayed and humiliated. He felt that many of his critics were unwilling or unable to engage with his ideas in good faith. Reflecting on …

Is There a Solution to the Problem of Moral Luck?

Is There a Solution to the Problem of Moral Luck?

Published by Sam Flores

Published: May 31, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary Moral judgments often conflict with the principle that people should only be blamed for what they can control. Identical negligent actions can receive vastly different moral blame based purely on their lucky or unlucky outcomes. The problem may not be moral luck itself, but our emotional need to blame people for tragic events. Four types of luck—constitutive, circumstantial, resultant, and causal—deeply and unfairly influence our moral assessments of others. Show more   What role should luck play in our moral judgments? For most of us, the answer is surely zero. Luck, by definition, is something we have no control over. It is unjust to blame a person for something over which they had no control. The problem of moral luck reveals that things over which we have no control may be more prevalent in our moral evaluations than is commonly believed. If this is the case, then much of our moral condemnation is unjust. In this article, we look to see if this is the case.   Moral Praise and …

Simone de Beauvoir and Fourth-Wave Feminism

Simone de Beauvoir and Fourth-Wave Feminism

Published by Sam Flores

  Simone de Beauvoir lived in an age when women were still actively fighting for their rights and their position in society. Apart from being a public activist, she completely changed our understanding of femininity. We mostly can see Beauvoir’s ideas in her famous work, The Second Sex. Here, she tried to show everyone that women are not a determined “type of being.” They’re shaped by the society they live in. We still live in fourth-wave feminism. And it is an era of digital activism that is not afraid to show its voice and change everything that women do not like. But does Beauvoir’s thinking have a place here?   Who Was Simone de Beauvoir? Photo of Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Harlingue, 1947. Source: The New Yorker   To start with, Simone de Beauvoir (1908) was born in France. Apart from being a feminist, she was a popular book author and philosopher. Her areas of interest included studies about womanhood, freedom, and humanity in all spheres, not only in relation to women.   Most of …

The 14th Century Philosopher That Challenged the Power of the Pope

The 14th Century Philosopher That Challenged the Power of the Pope

Published by Sam Flores

Published: May 30, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary Marsilius argued the Church’s claim to earthly power was harmful to peace and societal tranquility. He believed the state alone should hold coercive power to enforce laws and maintain order. His revolutionary idea of separating Church and State is a foundational concept for modern democracy. Marsilius argued earthly laws are human-made and therefore can be fallible or “bad” laws. Show more   Marsilius of Padua was one of the most innovative political thinkers of the Middle Ages. His thinking is seen by many today as a precursor to modern democracy. Marsilius’ views of human nature, the rule of law, and the separation of the Church and State are commonplace today but revolutionary in his time. In his great work Defender of the Peace, Marsilius argues that not only should the Church not have political power, but that its claim of authority over earthly matters was actually harmful to peace and tranquility.   Who Was Marsilius of Padua? Miniature on the first page of a luxury manuscript of the Defensor pacis by an …

Who Is Nietzsche’s ‘Sovereign Individual’?

Who Is Nietzsche’s ‘Sovereign Individual’?

Published by Sam Flores

Published: May 28, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary The sovereign individual is not a real person but a personification of an idea, a stage in human evolution. This figure is defined by the prerogative to promise, signifying complete self-mastery and an unbreakable will. Nietzsche’s account is a mythological origin story for humanity, offering a new justification for values without God. Ultimately, the concept is used to justify human inequality, creating a hierarchy of superior and inferior people. Show more   Nietzsche addresses the enigmatic character of the sovereign individual only once: in the Second Essay of On the Genealogy of Morality. In the secondary literature, there are many different interpretations not only on how we ought to understand the sovereign individual but also on the importance of the concept. After all, Nietzsche brings the subject up in the Second Essay and does not mention it again. Here, I will argue that the sovereign individual is best understood not as a type of person but the personification of an important idea.   The Sovereign Individual Portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche …

The Dark Meaning Behind Camus’s Most Controversial Story

The Dark Meaning Behind Camus’s Most Controversial Story

Published by Sam Flores

Published: May 28, 2026written by Simon Lea, PhD Philosophy Summary ‘The Renegade’ was born from Camus’s personal crisis after his controversial book, The Rebel, was harshly criticized. The story critiques misguided rebellion, where a man sides with an oppressive power out of hatred for his own kind. It serves as Camus’s allegory for the French left-wing, which he saw as complicit in oppression rather than loving justice. Show more   ‘The Renegade’ is a short story born of a crisis brought about by the harsh, often unfair criticism Camus received for daring to question the oppressive path that modern revolutionary ideas were taking. As part of the collection Exile and the Kingdom, ‘The Renegade’ shares a concern with the impossibility of communication. The story shows the failure of communication and subsequent oppression at its most stark: a man whose tongue is cut out and who comes to love and serve his torturers.   Situating the Text Albert Camus in Paris, 1957. Source: Los Angeles Times   Albert Camus (1913-1960) wrote the short story ‘The Renegade’ for inclusion in a collection of …