Conversations | Stephen Hicks | Postmodernism and Nazism

Prof. Stephen Hicks is a philosopher who is well known for his expertise in demystifying postmodernist
ideology. His insights into postmodernism and political correctness have extra significance today as we see university progressive activism spilling out into the streets.
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Stephen Hicks:
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/ srchicks

[@thadtuiol1717]

I like Prof. Hicks' work a lot (his book on explaining postmodernism is excellent, btw) but he's very naive at the end of this interview. Our enemies didn't spend the last 60 years marching through the institutions just to hand them over again after losing a debate.

[@rainman11985]

It was a power grab ie the Feminine Success Strategy; extract resources from the productive preferrably by persuasion, by force of an incited mob if necessary. So yes, they're not giving it back voluntarily unless they're life is at risk then they'll beg for mercy and pretend they've learned their lesson.

[@ORagnar]

Stephen Hicks is becoming my favorite modern day intellectual. He's very smart and deeply knowledgeable of philosophy. I also like the way he realizes the importance of human psychology and human nature.

[@stueyapstuey4235]

He is not an 'intellectual', he is another fake, using his profession (not his learning) to justify his personal prejudices. His so-called 'de-mystifying' of postmodernism is embarrassingly mis-representative. Two options - either he is knowingly lying about the philosophical tradition of which the post-modern is merely a late version, or he is ignorant of the facts of western history and its philosophical basis. As a fully paid up Canadian neo-con, it's not easy to work out which side of the track he falls...

[@ORagnar]

@@stueyapstuey4235 -- Just live with the fact that you're a mindless troll and move on.

[@zackfair6791]

@@ORagnar I noticed he has quite a large hate club of angry deluded leftists. More so than other people i see talk on these things. Must mean he is doing good work.

[@seanleith5312]

I applaud that these gentlemen wear suits, that's remarkably important.

[@farizramli8681]

@@zackfair6791 I've gone through academic philosophy, and the only thing I have to say is that he can't even get the basics of canonical figures (e.g. Kant, Rousseau, etc.) in philosophy correct, let alone postmodernism. I'd be careful coming to such a conclusion if I were you. His book 'explaining postmodernism' would be seriously laughed at if it were subjected to serious academic peer review. My recommendation for you is to read his text, and read the texts and authors that he bases his ideas on. If you are even the slightest bit intellectually honest, you'll find that most if not all of his interpretations are off the mark.

[@christopherrobbins9985]

2 Canadians (Jordan Peterson and Stephen Hicks) and and Aussie (John Anderson) seem to best understand the imminent threat the POMO crowd presents to classical liberalism and it's 200 yr + track record of producing prosperity, liberty, freedom and tolerance.

[@acropolisnow9466]

It's not an imminent threat, it's already been well underway for decades unfortunately.

[@siggy7265]

They do understand yes as well as many others --trouble is absolutely none of them has a plan about what to do about it--just talk talk talk while Rome burns

[@TiempoNuevo-ew7ty]

I sure hope Jordan is beginning to heal from his illness. We desperately need all of these men. I love their ability to communicate on the higher levels. Try having a conversation like this with the average and the just can't be put together for them to understand. That is because people mostly don't want or have the ability to listen for more than a half of a paragraph and certainly no in depth complex concepts.

[@wrongthink1212]

Liberal and enlightenment ideas are likely what started the train rolling... The foundations for these secular ideas are extremely shaky from a philosophical perspective, and core world views are what actually drives civilisations over the long term.

[@orthobro7773]

Classical Liberalism leads to more liberalism. This constant search for "freedom" is built into the ideology. This pursuit of liberty and freedom never ends and leads to degeneracy ie 2020. A society can have a fair bit of liberty but they must be held together with things like common ethnicity, common religion and common values. Then you dont need a massive authoritarian government to hold the society together.

[@craftercrew7860]

As a young adult in Australia, when you said it’s almost as if young people are instinctively feeling that the changes in our society are wrong, and that they are looking for verification that the foundations of our society are relevant and worth keeping. You’ve spoken for me here perfectly John. Though I can’t speak for others of my generation, although most seem to be largely brainwashed by leftist slogans, the majority it would seem to me only hold these at surface level. The core Australian values upon which our society’s foundations are built are in the majority underlying, though increasingly becoming confused. Though, if free speech and debate is properly exercised, without being shutdown by the left, I have no doubt the conflicting beliefs and values of the majority of the youth will be put straight. Thank you John and Prof Hicks.

[@ManInTheBigHat]

I hope Hicks is right about the market weeding out the bad professors.

[@AndyJarman]

I'm afraid he's very naive. Government departments are overrun with intersectionalist diversity mongers. It is rapidly becoming illegal to resist.

[@StephenSeabird]

The market? You mean corporate funding improves things?

[@briannxx]

He’s not that’s his ideology blinding him to the facts on the ground!

[@wrongthink1212]

Lol...good luck with 'the market' sorting that out. How naive and frankly, simpleminded.

[@StephenSeabird]

@@richardfoley3458 When for example, a university needs sponsorship from the private sector to say, fund research?

[@dsartain3404]

Let’s hope more and more first rate minds have the courage to support Stephen Hicks. Excellent interview-thank you.

[@garycleave9565]

I am whom I am today Because of each and every choice I've made along the way My will is free No matter how hard or easy My life is my responsibility Choice is just another word for agency

[@pinebluff1971]

What a wonderful comment!!!!!

[@jeanetteb2347]

I think your life has also been dependent upon lots of choices from others. No man is an island.

[@pinebluff1971]

Gary Cleave awesome

[@pinebluff1971]

Jeanette B true but YOUR REACTION to others/surroundings etc ..boils down to personal responsibility, character qualities, a sound moral compass and personal choices !! IT IS YOUR CHOICE to act with civility kindness and dignity!

[@jasongravely7217]

Paula Hatfield amen. We Always have a choice in our minds on how we interpret and experience anything.

[@anjansarkar9803]

This was a clarifying experience. Something about leftist ideologies has always rankled me, but I could never put a finger to exactly why - it was a recoil from the ideas, historical precedents but also a mild revulsion fr the sorts of people who prescribe to those notions. Listening to John's discussions with Stephen here, and Jordan Peterson in a previous interview, have been very very helpful. Look forward to more of this.

[@johannsalzstreuer5006]

i am from the radical left in germany. 1997 til 2011. antifa, riots, self governed squats. g8 meetings etc. the radical left is a collection of traumatised kids searching for a ventil for their narcissist malignent rage. the borderline, histrio, narcissist personality disorder rate is very high. very manipulative persons, like their ideologies.

[@d68st90]

@@johannsalzstreuer5006 TRUE my fellow deutscher

[@drdaverob]

Nah. That's just conservative distaste for liberal dismissal of 3 of your moral foundations, purity, loyalty and authority. Listen to Johnathan haidt the righteous mind. We also swear more.

[@randomstarwarsfan6404]

Always felt the same way.

[@jengleheimerschmitt7941]

@@johannsalzstreuer5006 🤣 I might know one of your old "Comrades..." Any chance you remember an American from Pennsylvania at the Jugendzentrum for a few years around that time?

[@HeavyK.]

"It's hard to admit you are wrong." This seems to be particularly difficult for the Left. When I began reading about sociopathy, I found past interactions that were confounding at the time, much more understandable. Also, there was an uncomfortable and ghostly familiarity that I did not put into place for a while. When learning about politics, I ran into people that would never admit they were wrong and they were particularly annoyed with me if I brought irrefutable evidence.

[@minkleymcmoo5248]

Yep, same for Christians and racial nationalists.

[@drwhatson]

Critical Theory Marxists. As with Environmentalists, they only exist to criticise and "dismantle" existing (Capitalist) society, not to offer sensible solutions.

[@laszlosandor4870]

You should invite Romanian born theater director Andrei Serban who "resigned from his position at Columbia University, citing pressure on staff to accept teachers and students lacking the required academic standards in the name of political correctness" (Wikipedia).

[@samuellourenco1050]

Second that.

[@bitwarper]

Agree. Also prof. Vladimir Tismaneanu. "The Devil in History: Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century" kzbin.info/www/bejne/o363YqNsgJispJY

[@georger64]

I know a good many people who lived under communism/socialism for a part of their luves, and they all tell me they‘re constantly reminded of that time by current goings on.

[@laszlosandor4870]

@@georger64 I'm one of them.

[@brav0wing]

As a Romanian myself I can see why Andrei Serban did this: we have a history of communism.

[@casperdog777]

One of the best discussion of why identitarian politcs exists. Top class and worth listening to and reslistening to. Thank you for posting.

[@andrewmichaelschaefferXIV]

"Resentment Politics" Sweet term I'll use that. Great psychological critique about halfway through the video.

[@grannyannie6744]

Socialists don't love the poor, they hate the rich - Orwell

[@winstonsmith8240]

This man was your deputy pm?! What's the line from that old Joni Mitchell song? " you don't know what you've got, till it's gone." What a thoughtful, rational, compassionate man. Subscribed.

[@ReasonableForseeability]

To remove ambiguity, "This man" is Anderson, not Hicks.

[@robinwells8879]

I imagine that is why they got rid of him!

[@johnpauladamovsky86]

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU... GOD IS POWER FREEDOM IS SLAVERY WAR IS PEACE IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

[@fredlachy]

A golden error for Australia when we had John Howard as our PM and John Anderson as our Deputy PM. One of his few mistakes was going to Iraq. But even my die hard leftist and unionist grandfather said he was a very good leader of our country.

[@hazchemel]

Yes, and I was one who didn't appreciate him at the time ;( A colleague of his, tim fisher, was deputy prime minister, ... very similar good qualities, the sort of guy, for whom, when the back is against the wall, one gives thanks

[@importantjohn]

This is the best explanation of the current crisis and it was provided before the crisis (which increases its credibility). This interview needs to widely shared.

[@psychcowboy1]

Did one of them say something smart in this interview? What was it?

[@alm4737]

I agree; the idea of ‘resenters’ is very helpful in understanding much of the motivation of the far/extreme left.

[@aakkoin]

Before the current crisis? This talk was posted 3 weeks ago :D and the crisis has been going on for years and years, of academia and media and politicians. I hope we reach a tipping point and return to sanity.

[@suzannespanier4492]

He speaks like a gentleman. That used to be something to strive toward.

[@Mackensen11]

Thank you for providing a forum for rational discussion. I live in the United States and I despair for the republic given our decent into a state of complete irrational mob rule these days. Keep up the good fight!

[@james-ks4vh]

I had the honour to interview prof Hicks once, really nice man.

[@grantfrith9589]

Great guest and conversation as usual John. Thank you so much for what you're doing. I hope your audience gets a lot bigger.

[@advocate1563]

What an extraordinary man - his moderation pervades his speech and his manner. So refreshing

[@jerrygreene1493]

Did Hicks say something smart here?

[@collie8]

this guy has a clear logic, non judgmental non prejudice look and he can put it all in very easy to understand ways. Just wow.

[@kea7119]

I'd like to see Stephen Hicks in a podcast like the DarkHorse or The Portal made by the Weinstein brothers. I'd also truly enjoy another more official face to face with Jordan Peterson in The Rubin report or any other podcast/media. He seems to fit the quality of the IDW. Intellectual should get together to speak the truth. It makes them much more powerful socially. Specially against a malevolent opponent like the bearers of identity politics/postmodernism.

[@Fanofou82]

Bret Weinstein's cowardice and those still apologizing are the whole reason for this mess. They created it and roll over for the mob.

[@youngwaif7321]

@@Fanofou82 What 'cowardice?' It took courage to buck the tide of student totalitarianism.

[@dragonknightleader1]

@@youngwaif7321 You mean obliviousness. Weinstein is still very much in that Lefty Liberal headspace. If it weren't for the rioting, he'd be in support of BLM. That's the problem with most of the IDW actually, too many of them have the TDS to be effective.

[@C.D.J.Burton]

Stephen knows this stuff so deeply, it's always a pleasure to listen to him.

[@jasperp1872]

He actually does not; check out 'A Critique of Stephen Hicks' "Explaining Postmodernism"'

[@C.D.J.Burton]

@@jasperp1872 He clearly does.

[@12th-House]

What an excellent conversation. Very good insights.

[@jonbaker2102]

So many extraordinary intellects out there like Professor Hicks- maybe this world does have some hope.

[@RupertMcGruber]

I very much appreciate Stephen Hicks for his even-keeled, cool demeanor. Not betraying much personal bias is a great strength of his.

[@jerrygreene1493]

Did Hicks say something smart in this video?

[@davidmcferrerhce6242]

John Anderson is one of the best hosts for these kind of discussions. He is disciplined in one area where most are not -- letting his guests respond and direct the flow of discussion. I'm thinking of a certain host from a certain think tank that rhymes with "Moover". He spins up these interminable questions full of quotes and leaps of logic, only to have his guests give a puzzled "you got all that?" look afterward. John Anderson is a breath of fresh air and a paragon of humility.

[@cassandratonkin3166]

Peter Robinson

[@davidmcferrerhce6242]

@@cassandratonkin3166 Correct. I omitted his name on purpose to be polite. At first I liked Robinson's videos, but once you understand his pattern, it becomes absolutely tedious to watch. Also, whenever Robinson is speaking to a British person, he keeps apologizing for Americans and their "simplicity". In his interview with Douglas Murray, you could tell Murray was getting annoying with Robinson's constant "lets dumb this down for Americans" lines.

[@johnbrown4568]

Stephen Hicks does indeed offer a fantastic overview of philosophical development...a great thinker! Thank you.

[@DavidHRyall]

This is very relevant in the post-covid era. Explains a lot about those who trust their leaders too much, and about leaders who don't want to let go of power

[@lloydhussey6141]

Seriously John Anderson... YOU ROCK!!!!

[@angusmcangus7914]

A great discussion, John. Thanks very much once again. I've been an instinctive conservative all my life but it's only in recent years that I've constructed an intellectual justification for it. The writings of Sir Roger Scruton were fundamental to that and reading Stephen's "Explaining Postmodernism" helped enormously to make things slot into place. This talk is a superb explanation of why we are where we are in 2020.

[@vintagetrikesandquads4012]

This was recorded before covid. It would be interesting to do another interview with professor Hicks, because a lot has changed in just a couple years, e.g., government power and credibility, wokeism, etc.

[@uptoncriddington6939]

Interesting discussion. Two observations: 1) Rather than start with the American Revolution, the history of free speech and the civilised airing of political differences can be traced back to the wake of the English Civil War, the dreadful carnage and destruction of which neither side wanted to repeat. This was reinforced by the age of parliamentary government that followed the Glorious Revolution and the advent of limited monarchy. Both Conversativism (Toryism) and classical Liberalism (Whiggery) grew out of this. At the Am. Rev., the rebel side, victorious as the new U.S.A., carried on having jettisoned the Tory tradition and having forced that part of their political heritage into exile (in Canada and elsewhere). What results is the current U.S. system where two sides are warring for control of the body politic with no element above the political fray, unlike those constitutional parliamentary democracies which retained the monarchy. Today, one has a sort of truncated Conservative tradition in all these countries due to, in the U.S. case, the Am. Rev., and in the Commonwealth countries, the collapse of tradition that followed the end of empire. What Conservatism has remained is for the most part what is chiefly characterised by the espousal of the fiscal elements of neo-Conservatism (Classical 19th century free-trade Liberalism). This sort of political outlook shorn as it is of Conservatism's richer philosophical underpinnings and deeper loyalties beyond meer money-grubbing is easily characterised as heartless. As such, it cannot provide effective answers to its neo-Marxist critics who appeal to the idealistic hearts and minds of youth, because it does not appear to go beyond the relatively late addition to Conservative thought that derives from the espousal of Capitalism in one of its many sometimes dreary forms. By contrast, the resurgent Marxists, as in the case of both the Woke billionaire SJWs of America, and the captains of industry in the present Dirigiste-Capitalist People's Republic of China, use the riches they gain through their canny use of Capitalism to further their original agenda of gaining and growing power by other means designed to appeal to those unwarmed by the truncated philosophy of neo-Conservatism. In other words, they prove that one can successfully harness Capital for Marxist and/or Authoritarian ends (a lesson learned from the Nazi use of Capitalism and the German Industrial Complex under the dictatorship of the Third Reich, which just goes to show that Totalitarianism borrows from its practitioners whether on the Left or the Right). They now appear to be running rings around those who espouse traditional values absent a form of Conservatism that has found a sufficiently robust enunciator of its ideas for the challenges of the current era. 2) Many of those who espoused Marxist ideas in their university years starting in the 1960s later became successful members of capitalist society and made pots of money, but they never gave up on their Marxist ideals, they just developed expensive tastes, becoming champagne socialists, and got marijuana legalised too, for that matter. Many of their offspring became a second generation (born, say, 1965-2000) raised on a weird philosophy of spoilt so-called "progressive politics" made up of the Hipster Marxist Wokerati. These people together form a large voting bloc. They gave Canada Trudeau mark II. The Millennial ones among these folk now consider their grandparents or great-grandparents who belonged to the Greatest Generation (born, say, 1897-1927) and who saved the world from the Fascism of the Axis Powers to be dinosaurs who hold unacceptably Right-Wing views. This is mind-bogglingly condescending, but is the result of Generation III's wilful miseducation by their parents' generation of "Liberals" and "Socialists" who scoffed at tradition in the wake of World War II, and were brought up in the prosperous 1950s (which spoilt them unlike their parents who had passed through the Great Depression of the 1930s as well as the War) and which made them vulnerable to the allure of the siren call of Marxist ideas dressed up as Hippie ideas of “Make Love not War” (which led to their adoption of a whole host of Marxist ideas, including radical feminism leading to the abolition of gender and the concept of illegitimacy (which further undermined traditional ideas of family and social cohesion) and the adoption mass birth control leading to the supposed abolition of the differences between men and women ( to free women up to become not the keepers of hearth and home and traditional Judaea-Christian moral standards but workers just like men), the abolition of the family and the concomitant need for mass immigration to replace the dwindling reproductive capacity of sexually and ideologically liberated women (and men), and societally demoralizing sympathy with one’s military and ideological opponents in the East bloc), “Back to the Land” (now become the Green tranche of the Woke Agenda with its extreme plans to abolish Capitalism save for a few technocrats in order to Stop Global Warming) at their own political coming of age. Naturally, for reasons of seeking advantage in a new society, many of those who have arrived in these countries from the Third World since the 1960s have also joined forces with these existing elements to form a new and extraordinarily powerful Left-wing voting and marching coalition that now threatens the very philosophical foundations of all the old democracies of the Anglosphere whether constitutional monarchies or republics.

[@ciaraosullivan3755]

Upton Criddington thank you for your marvellous comment, very informative 🤗

[@uptoncriddington6939]

Ciara O'Sullivan My pleasure.

[@JRobbySh]

Should not forget that the Civil War was a religious war. Cromwell was a very bigoted man and the civil war was part of the last phase the Thirty years war. Look at Hobbes view of things, which was based on his experiences of the civil war.

[@wilfredowen5172]

That the genetic expression of a wing of politics could be exported is astonishingly insightful. If indeed that is the case, it has left England and the countries of the anglospere bereft for it has unbalanced their politics for the foreseeable future. I do hope Upton I have read this right. I'm also of the opinion that we need to go farther than even 1688. I believe king Alfred is the man who set mankind upon this unique. course.

[@seekerout]

An interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing it.

[@CharlieSpencers]

So nice to hear some positivity and new wisdom about the issue.

[@johnlane35]

Terrific discussion as usual John Anderson. Stephen Hicks is a great conversationalist. Best hour I have spent this week.

[@MRCINI100]

Very good discussion. The move and rise towards a Technocracy seems to be a missing dimension in the discussion.

[@efleishermedia]

Yup. You nailed it. I truly believe this current postmodern BLM movement (as well as other more institutional or "scientific" factors like Covid 19) is only the battering ram or Trojan horse for the coming international technocratic regime. The endgame is "smart" cities and wholesale control of every facet of life on earth right down to our DNA.

[@flybyray]

@@efleishermedia Interesting. Conceivable but sceptical. Old people do not follow every new trend. Where is the borderline when someone is old? I think the line has nothing to do with age. Too rapid changes by technocracy will shift the line and technocracy will break down.

[@efleishermedia]

@@flybyray For sure. I have no doubt that at this moment the older generations are only slowing down the technocratic agenda. But technocracy is not really about the tech WE will have, not the ideas. It's about the tools that the elites running the machine have. But all in all, I think the intentionally stressed generation gap is one of our biggest challenges, and that if elderly people could share their wisdom with the world without being called racist or sexist or just getting eye rolls, we wouldn't be falling for the same old tricks of the 20th century. The fact that most young people really believe for the entire history of man leading up to the Millennials were all ignorant misogynists by proxy of the patriarchy and therefore have no valid insights, proves how lost they really are. The hubris and naked stupidity is just awe inspiring

[@efleishermedia]

Also I just wanna say I believe a full spectrum technocratic regime would break down fairly quickly on it's own. That kind of authoritarianism is typically the last swing of the pendulum in a particular historical cycle and is galvanized as a response to the previous swing toward tribalism and social breakdown.

[@okami425]

Kelly Fleisher a truly horrific dystopian future imo. The number of ways it could catastrophically fail us is too big.

[@waterbourne9282]

Top class interview. Thanks John.

[@tdunph4250]

And THAT Ladies + Gentlemen is how a interviewer/host is supposed to conduct himself. Let the guest run with it and not interrupt or say something stupid. John Anderson sets a standard that many talk show hosts need to aspire to!

[@MCR1565]

Well said.. nice upload. Always appreciate others perspectives to consider..

[@nigelmorley5099]

An absolutely brilliant interview. Thank you 🙏👍👍

[@michaelhull1813]

I heard someone say, and over years absorbed anecdotal evidence to support it, that there are 2 kinds of people. Those who "get it", and those who "can't help themselves". In the broadest sense, I think it's spot on. In the most narrow, it holds true. From moment to moment, and over the course of our lives, one can be said to be in one or the other group. I think this conversation equates to 2 "Get its" trying to help those who can't help themselves. Such a concise dialogue.

[@jerrygreene1493]

Did Hicks say something smart in this video?

[@iamphineas]

Fantastic, very insightful. Thank you John and Stephen. Great interviewing skills, great guest.

[@imaxxx0205]

This was such a pleasure to watch, thanks Mr. Anderson

[@winskypinsky]

Always a top drawer guest! Thank you Mr Anderson, I think you’re just ducky!

[@Guy-lo3ld]

Thank you for this very interesting discussion! Please continue with your good work!

[@MrMurph73]

How have I gone this long without being aware of Mr Hicks? Glad to add him to my list of most interesting thinkers around

[@castlebravo2023]

I think Brett Weinstein said it perfectly. To paraphrase "The enlightenment was an intellectual compromise between warring religious groups in Europe. What were seeing now is the end of the age of an enlightenment and a return to warring religious groups" I butchered his eloquent and sensible delivery but thats essentially the jist of it.

[@simononeill941]

Nietzsche was the most interesting read when I was younger. His style is like an art work in itself. I still remember the drive his words had. Very riveting. However, he was taken too literally and abused by those who wanted power over others and the world, instead of power over themselves. Power over oneself is what I took Nietzsche to mean - an advancement on Schopenhauer;s philosophy which was an adaptation of Buddhism without the dogma and worship.

[@TheRealValus]

Schopenhauer was an adaptation of Advaita. Nietzsche approved relativism, for the most part, but, as a lover of power, he was very much in favor of social policies which would favor more robust, resilient physiognomies, at the expense of dim, herd-like, cowardly, conformist types.

[@jimiMachendrix]

Simon, you might want to read Stephen Hicks book "Nietzsche and the Nazis," while power over oneself is a given, his view in my opinion extends to political systems too. I think there is also a KZbin with the same title.

[@Jazza0Mic0Fazza]

This discussion is one I can share with communists, ethno-nationalists and centrist friends and all will find places of agreement. It's both a red pill and a blue pill; very rare rare thing to find. This is truly a gem to find and I hope the KZbin censors don't take disagreement with this and decide to memory hole. Thank you so much, a sub well deserved.

[@Galvaxatron]

Fantastic chat. Thank you John!

[@Eudamonia-123]

Really enjoy Stephen Hicks. Love his work.

[@Welshrugbyfan101]

Excellent interview. Thank you.

[@mazyzazie4048]

Outstanding clarity, Professor....Thank you.

[@KLawrence31]

Excellent conversion. Very accessible to important ideas and trends and understanding them. Bravo.

[@randaldykwell6733]

Thank you this clarification and affirmation of the responsibility and rights dichotomy we politically and personally bear. I'm 64 and have found the Bible the most clarifying and affirming of human nature and how best to live skillfully e.g. Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom literature et al. Politics being quite closely related to religion and faith as Ephesians 6:12 and 1 Chronicles 12:32 explain, humility of self and realizing Someone bigger than myself and how I fit into His heaven and this world gives me, and I pray others also, the peace necessary to continue. Being born again is to enjoy and bear the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23) and then the Lord Jesus does give understanding in all things. 2 Timothy 2:7

[@lindalambert8727]

You are so right.

[@Nodsaibot]

How is national socialism "right wing" if they are against capitalism, royalty and monarchy?

[@perrywidhalm114]

Amen!

[@StephenSeabird]

Surely, Hitler's N. Socialism was not against capitalism but rather, with the Krupp steelworks and others, sought to use it and have a form of capitalism that was no longer Liberal but open to political manipulation. This problem hasn't gone away, surely, when it also works the other way, when corporate lobbying manipulates politics and our 'democracy' becomes a ghost of what it's purportedly to be.

[@razzberry6180]

@@StephenSeabird Actually, quiet surely, Hitler's regime was very much anti-capitalist. First off, Hitler proclaimed capitalism to be a symptom of "International Jewry". Second of all, Hitler's "capitalism" was very much like China's current "capitalism", maybe even worse. Sure, you can buy shit, bit your not free, neither is your property yours, and how you use your money is being watched carefully. Every major industry in Germany was infiltrated by the NSDAP via the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD), the Labour Service and/or the Deutscher Arbeitsfront (DAF), the Nationally sanctioned Labour Union. Property rights were also contingent on the wishes of the state, as property ownership as a right was abolished during the passing of the Nuremburg laws (or shortly there after by decree). Government was involved at every echelon of buisness, and buisness was scrutinized vigourously by Allgemeine-SS departments concerning Industry and Economic Development, German Nationhood, Agriculture and Race and Resettlement. To argue, even remotely, that the Third Reich was a proponent of Capitalism, is ridiculous. You might as well say that because Germany had currency, they were a free market system.

[@StephenSeabird]

@@razzberry6180 I'm sure all that's correct. I was trying to distinguish it from the USSR, as I am living in an ex-communist country, which branded classes of people, even the smallest farm or shopkeeper, as enemies of the State. it seems to me that the Nazi's didn't go so far as this.

[@razzberry6180]

@@StephenSeabird Well the Sicherheitspolizei (Kripo and Gestapo) did not have to act in accordance with judicial oversight. They could arrest as they saw fit, even if a person have been released from custody, they could snatch them up again.

[@christianityisunstoppable4155]

At 50:10 Stephen briefly starts to explain negative liberty very nicely , but it was kind of short. I would like to hear more from John or Stephen on positive VS negative liberty. Wonderful talk.

[@Ozgipsy]

You’ve done very well John. An old dog in there with the Zoomers and Joe Rogan. I really enjoy these chats.

[@mdbarton1979]

Great convo. As an aside, I love the large piece of art hanging behind them.

[@logocentric9183]

Great conversation!

[@unladenparrot6141]

In these fast moving times I think it would be useful to include the date recorded. It would also be great to release these more quickly (if reasonably practicable without compromising production values).

[@1969cmp]

I agree about moving away from left-right labels. The coming global government will have no sympathy for people who call themselves right or left when they raise their concerns against authoritarianism.

[@youngalexander3166]

a stunning intellect. i hope his optimistic outlook on the university system rings true.

[@hubrisnaut]

'outsourcing their decision making, their conscience ...' - John Anderson The outsourcing of our agency, to governments and institutions... The framing of the reality of it, in that way, really struck me. This is the basis of how 'the power' of government is derived from the people, 'willingly'. I see my relationship to government and it to me in much that way but, I see my difference as, I am aware of it... This is why we must retain our individual right to engage with these conversations. Their must be an unlimited intellectual space for any and all formulations of thoughts then words.

[@hubrisnaut]

Conversations, unlimited intellectual space for any formulations of thoughts and words.

[@hubrisnaut]

Conversations, thoughts and words.

[@MsHburnett]

Thankyou such clarity. Of thought!

[@tomhansen6115]

Without free speech Ideas don't get stress tested. Bad Ideas are implemented and we only find out just how bad they are when the corpses start piling up. This is what concerns me

[@stuarthicks2696]

Really enjoyed this conversation.

[@just_another32]

Good clip. If anyone hasn't watched Stephen Hicks super long documentary on Nazi ideology NEEDS to. It is awesome.

[@lelamarkham5863]

"I might have to admit I made a mistake." Yes, totally the lynchpin of many of the world's problems today, the inability to be humble and admit you might not know everything.

[@brianwolthers2762]

These conversations are getting better all the time. Well done John. I have listened to very many of your uploads. Nice to hear a fellow Aussie voice instead of the endless American or English accents. I would love to hear some guests from the other side that think for themselves and not just blurt our the left rectric on equality and such like. There must be some out there ! Intelligent conversation on things that the right dont do so well such as how can you have infinite growth in a finite world. Or does more population have a negative or positive impact on the lives of the magority despite economic growth. Amyone have some suggestions?

[@georgiag3892]

I believe Stephen Hicks is Canadian not Australian, not sure when this was recorded as international travel isn't happening atm in Australia. Stephen was in Australia perhaps around a year ago, not sure as I loose track of time.

[@MDL.720]

Voicist

[@neoepicurean3772]

50:10 - a lovely concise summary of the whole problem we see in Western society. People that don't contribute claiming a living as a right - and the resentment this creates in those who are forced to pay them, when it would once have been called charity which comes with the 'warm glow' of helping others voluntarily. My parent's neighbour on their semi-detached is a single mum with 5 kids with 5 different guys - she lives the same lifestyle as two retirees that have worked their whole life to pay for a house, and she gets hers for free. We hear her screaming at the kids through the wall. Breaks my heart.

[@susandrakenviller3683]

Your example is a caricature and a false argument. Everyone would feel this is 'not right' in your example but the reality is of course not that simple and what someone's contribution is or not is isn't that simple either.

[@neoepicurean3772]

@@susandrakenviller3683 My neighbour has been been given the house on welfare as she has 5 kids - even though the oldest kid (who is around 17) now has their own baby and has got her own welfare house. This woman is mid-30's she has occasionally worked as a nightclub bouncer but in the last 10 years she has not worked and had a new baby 2 years ago (little Kendal) - she is covered in tattoos and smokes weed - she has a dog that she never bothered to train to stop barking and she punches it and I've heard the RSPCA visit after receiving calls from other neighbours reporting animal abuse. I suspect she would be physically abusive to the kids too, as she is certainly verbally abusive. Almost every other word she says to them is fuck and I can hear her through the wall when she has her daily meltdown on the 2 year old. I can tell you it's no way to talk to a 2 year old. I have been tempted to call child services myself, but I think she would suspect us and she knows some unsavoury characters that she might seek retribution on my elderly parents if she suspected the tip off came from us. She is a horrible woman. Now tell me, what about her contribution, or lack of, is not so simple? What am I missing?

[@JesusIsKingAndSavior]

@@susandrakenviller3683 5 kids with 5 men a caricature? You live under a rock in 1955?

[@colloredbrothers]

Susan Drakenviller “its not that simple” is a postmodern argument to stifle discussion. You only see an infinite amount of variables and you don’t use any principles in your thinking because every principle has exceptions, so to employ principled thinking is by definition exclusionary. However it is impossible to experience the whole of reality at once, so every minute political choice becomes infinitely difficult because it has to take into account the whole of existence. The postmodernist turns themselves into a bumbling idiot who cannot know anything for sure.

[@neoepicurean3772]

@@colloredbrothers Yep, that used to be me. I spent many years saying things like 'it's not their fault' - 'they are a product of having a under privileged background' - 'they didn't know any better' - it was only after reading philosophy that I realised that the world would not function practically if we don't draw the line somewhere then we'll be stuck in relativistic circles. I come from a poor background, I got into trouble when I was younger and didn't have an education. Now I have a degree and have had 20 years of successful career. If you have a bad start it's all down to you to turn that around. To treat people like they don't know any better is actually not treating them like an equal human. But it's easier for people to act like nothing is their fault and it's all 'the system' and they thus are entitled to demand a living from others.

[@newtalking3]

Good job with the interviews keep it up

[@garypendergraft1398]

1st note of optimism I've heard yet.

[@gianfrancobenetti-longhini8192]

I find the ideas presented most stimulating, and I am including the interviews of John Anderson in my Facebook for my friends here in Italy. This is the paragraph I have used to introduce your discussion ....... "Once again a most interesting presentation from Australian "John Anderson", sure to stimulate controversial responses from certain quarters. I recommend it for open minds, especially for those that are willing to analyse other ideas. Should you have any reasons for my not doing this, please let me know.

[@thorthelionkingodinson4385]

That was pretty good I was skeptical about watching it at first now I'm glad I did

[@Banana04218]

Excellent

[@ChrisJones-hs6nj]

This was filmed b4 December last year. Good discussion 👍 I learnt a lot.

[@johnrobie9694]

Hicks does a great job here talking simply about subjects without using the fancy labels (eg. "graded absolutism" and "positive" vs "negative rights"). Shows he's really there to discuss, and not show-off how much he knows. Although, I feel like people might want to know what those things are called so they can investigate deeper. Catch-22.

[@jerrygreene1493]

Did Hicks say something smart here? What was it?

[@johnrobie9694]

@@jerrygreene1493 Apparently, he didn't dumb it down enough...

[@psychcowboy1]

@@johnrobie9694 Here is one review of Hicks, his performance in this video doesn't change my mind, but if you think he was smart, maybe you can point to it: "Unfortunately, Explaining Postmodernism is full of misreadings, suppositions, rhetorical hyperbole and even flat out factual errors. Moreover, these problems aren’t limited to Hicks’ interpretation of postmodern authors, .. It extends across much of the modern Western canon, ... For Hicks, virtually the entire post-Descartes philosophical canon is apparently committed to irrationalist collectivism...The book’s problems begin on the very first page, with Hicks’ list of seminal postmodern authors. … These problems persist throughout the book. Hicks completely misinterprets Lyotard’s quotation about Saddam Hussein in his 1997 book Postmodern Fables....Sadly, Hicks’ tendency to fudge philosophical traditions and history isn’t limited to postmodern authors. Hicks also badly misrepresents Medieval and Enlightenment thinkers who don’t ascribe to his own philosophical and political preferences. Hicks’ caricature of Medieval thinkers as “super naturalist, mystical, collectivist, and feudalistic” is extremely questionable."

[@johnrobie9694]

@@psychcowboy1 Sorry, can't say I agree with that "review". I didn't get the impression from anything he said that he was distorting postmodernism. In-fact, I thought he was being quite generous. As I said, I also think he did a great job talking plainly about somewhat complex subjects (eg. negative and positive rights). Ironically, I find it's often the postmodernists that Gish Gallop their way through philosophy with fancy words so you get lost in the circular reasoning.

[@earofheaven1125]

So bloody good.

[@veritasdude1358]

Stephen Hicks ... what an articulate man ....

[@siquq]

I just subscribed because of this interview. Well done.

[@devonnapatrick2021]

Gone are the days when you can sit and enjoy educational intellectual minds. U2 gentleman talking about

[@toby9999]

Fantastic discussion.

[@nimium1955]

Is there a useful distinction to be made between debate (analysis) and contention (the ID in ideology)?

[@fredflintstone7924]

That was just superb!

[@maryhaddock9145]

In the older Gesham College videos, the lecturers give no indication of their political beliefs. The newer ones, though, they do.

[@lilawagner3726]

In the discussion about deferring to authority figures, I'm reminded of Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom.

[@2Oldcoots]

Fascinating!

[@ho11owbone]

i hope everyone watching this finds truth within their self, and is able to find a balance between reason and reality. exercise your potential for growth and realization and integrate it into your being in such a way that makes you formidable against this nonsensical movement that so many have succumbed to.

[@freedone.]

Excellent. Rings true.

[@kennethalbert4653]

I HATE MY MEDIOCRITY !! but, because I have HUMILITY I recognize I only have myself to blame and that gives me HOPE ! therefore I am a conservative.

[@dartharpy9404]

Great interview

[@robinwells8879]

I hope that John is right with regards the market forces weeding out the problem elements within the university sector but I'm in a position to see that, in the UK at least, the raw material is being very heavily "primed to receive" from as early as pre school. I still fear that the battle is lost before we even became aware that it was a battle. We may not recover until the new normal fails of its own accord as history tells us it is bound to do. I am edging towards the door as we speak.

[@Mitzoplick]

To say that the hatred for the successful is as old as time, is an understatement. Read the story of Cain and Able. Even taken as just an allegory, it is a very old story about human nature.

[@mfredcourtney5876]

Excellent discussion. Unfortunately it will fly way over the heads of those who would benefit from it.

[@merxeddie6474]

Government funding of Academia should stop.

[@StephenSeabird]

So you think corporate funding is not going to have its own disastrous effect on education? Where then, the impartiality of scientific research? Where the unprejudiced view of culture? The economic sphere needs to be free, agreed, but does it belong in areas such as education or health care? I think not. The universities in England are now dependent on rich (many of them foreign now) students paying the very substantial student fees, and it is very doubtful whether some of them should be allowed to enter. This elephant in the room is simply not being dealt with in public debate.

[@BrettHar123]

The Australian government just raised the fees at universities for all the fake subjects like Sociology, Gender Studies etc, and lowered the fees for Science, Technology, Engineering etc.. in order to help the COVID-19 recovery. You can hear the screaming and wailing five kilometres from the local University.

[@grrowldesign1971]

The problem is private funding. Get rid of the businessmen.

[@zeenuf00]

@@StephenSeabird did this person say that corporate funding should replace it? No, so stfu.

[@zeenuf00]

@@grrowldesign1971 no it's not

[@indigenousnorwegianeuropa4145]

«Double down on a failed theory...»🙌

[@aFreeDrifter]

“We’re outsourcing so much of our conscience and responsibility now to government and its instruments.” Absolutely brilliant! (Hope it's not faux-pas to comment twice?)

[@Richard_Straker]

Not a faux pas but it’s better form to edit your original comment.

[@aFreeDrifter]

​@@Richard_Straker Comments were unrelated, thus why I kept them separate. Thank you for the feedback!

[@mattyice852]

Hicks has a crazy bass to his voice

[@ballinwithkicks8436]

I am 19, and totally agree.

[@douglaswhitrick9743]

Most notable to me was Professor Hicks observation that " If you hate capitalism you don't want to teach capitalism as it is largely successful". This points the way to explaining why liberal-left academics are failing to teach our history, or indulge in a perversion of it. Sadly this is of critical import in explaining why a younger generation are oblivious to, or not prepared to accept, important lessons from history. What can be learned from history is not from a single event but a string of events or follies repeated.