Sparks Commentary

Plato wrote many great works, such as his records of the  trial of Socrates . Specifically, his work “Apology” alone  alone could earn him a...

Here is a sort of “table of contents” for my philosophical posts: By philosophical topics: Philosophy generally Political philosophy specifi...

“ Ipsa scientia potestas est. ” (“Knowledge itself is power.”) – Francis Bacon , in his “Meditationes Sacrae” (1597) , with the quotation of...

I have long had a fair number of friends who identify as “Marxist” or “socialist.” But I freely admit that relatively few of my friends ha...

“It is indeed the opinion of Protagoras, who has another way of expressing it. Man, he says, is the measure of all things , of the existence...

What is science, and how does it work? Are scientific theories certain, or can they change with the evidence? These are the kinds of questio...

“[I] am a sort of gadfly , given to the state by the god; and the state is a great and noble steed who is tardy in his motions owing to hi...

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates at his trial, as recorded by Plato's “Apology” Before beginning this project...

"I think, therefore I am." - René Descartes It's a funny thing about  philosophy majors  - none of them knew they wanted ...

"Philosophy is common sense with big words." - Attributed to  James Madison Why political theory, instead of just political ...

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -  Aristotle Open-mindedness i...

It is well-known among my friends that I am a foreign language buff. Some of my friends also know that I am a  philosophy  buff as well. ...

One of the biggest eye-openers of my  education  was learning what  philosophers  mean by the phrase "valid argument." As used b...

I  posted earlier that one of the most sacred tenets of liberalism is the goal of equality of condition: the idea that there should be no...

One of the most sacred tenets of liberalism is the goal of equality of condition: the idea that there should be no rich or poor, but that ...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalien...