In a recent interview, Stephen Bannon, the Chief Advisor and Intellectual Strategist of the Trump Administration, said that the Primary Goal of the Trump Administration is the "Deconstruction of the Administrative State." In our most recent episode, titled, "The Mythology of the 'Deconstruction of Administrative State,'" we examine Bannon's provocative assertion. Placing Bannon's assertion in the deeper historical and philosophical context of the Enlightenment, we demonstrate how Bannon is not only misinformed about the nature of the "Administrative State," but more importantly, how the strategies and policies of the Trump Administration are actually doing the very opposite of what they claim: They are deepening and almost perfecting the "Administrative State." Enjoy.

Recently, Donald Trump stated: "The Past 'Phony' Jobs Numbers are now 'Very Real.'" In our last episode, "A Very (Brief) History of Truth," we investigated the philosophical meaning of the "Truth" and traced its historical transformation across different philosophical epochs. In our follow-up episode, "The Crisis of Legitimacy of Meaning and the Emergence of Informational Tribalism," we explore the crisis of meaning that threatens to destroy the very foundation of our social and political space. The emergence of "Fake News," "Alternative Facts," and the collapse of the "Fact/Value" Distinction has brought us to an unprecedented moment of Informational Tribalism where "Meaning" and "Reality" serve the Whims of those in power, or those who are willing to exercise power to impose their "Reality." Contrary to what many believe, Donald Trump is not the cause of this, but rather a symptom of a crisis in meaning and information that has now reaching its perfection.

The headlines declare: We live in a Post-Truth world, characterized by Alternative Facts and Fake News. What the hell is going on? In our most recent episode, "A (Very) Brief History of Truth," we discuss the historical origin and philosophical meanings of the idea Truth. In order to try to disentangle what is meant by Post-Truth and alternative facts, we have to establish the philosophical assertions about Truth, trace the the transformation of the idea of Truth across historical epochs, and identify the boundaries and implications surrounding the debates about Truth. Only then can we investigate what Post-Truth and Alternative Facts really mean. Enjoy!

While Hobbes and Locke are two of the most important thinkers of Modern, Liberal Political Philosophy, they had radically different views about the best sort of regime human beings could create through the Social Contract. According to Hobbes's pessimistic view of human nature, he believed individuals were too vainglorious and ambitious to create, and participate in, a representative democracy. Only an all-powerful authoritarian ruler would be able to keep the citizens in line and the state stable and secure. Locke took a different approach. Individually and passionately opposed to any form of monarchy or centralized power, Locke argued that individuals were more reasonable than Hobbes thought, and the civil institutions of society more deeply grounded. Human beings could, Locke argued, create a democratic form of government with limited power, and sustain the enterprise over time. As we know, Locke seems to have one the debate, but recent socio-cultural and political events may prove Hobbes right.