Excursions into Libertarian Thought

George Smith discusses Kant’s attempt to justify objective moral principles and his views on when the use of coercion is morally proper.Originally published in essay form on April 15, 2016

George Smith explains some fundamental features of Immanuel Kant’s moral and political theory.Originally published in essay form on April 8, 2016

George Smith discusses some good and bad influences that Ayn Rand’s ideas had on his own intellectual development.Originally published in essay form on April 1, 2016

George Smith examines some of Rand’s claims about the beneficial influence of Aristotle’s ideas on the course of Western civilization.Originally published in essay form on March 4, 2016

George Smith discusses the issue of whether we should hold a philosopher responsible for the beliefs of those followers who agree with him.Originally published in essay form on February 26, 2016.

George Smith explains the views of Kant and Hegel on the history of philosophy, and explores whether moral judgments should be applied to the realm of ideas.Originally published in essay form on February 19, 2016

Was Kant somehow responsible for the rise of Nazism? Smith explores two points of view on this issue.Originally published in essay form on February 5, 2016

George H. Smith discusses the mythological thinking that dominated Nazi ideology, as explained in Cassirer’s book The Myth of the State.Originally published in essay form on January 29, 2016.