In a modest room in the Netherlands, a French philosopher sat by his stove and contemplated the nature of thought itself. The year was 1637, and René Descartes was about to publish a work that would inadvertently lay the conceptual groundwork for the artificial intelligence revolution (AI) that would unfold nearly four centuries later. While […]
Why the AI Revolution Was Predicted in 1637, Netherlands Read More »
When David Hume published A Treatise of Human Nature in 1739, he expected to revolutionize philosophy. Instead, the book, as he later lamented, “fell dead-born from the press.” Yet this initial failure masked what would become one of the most profound intellectual earthquakes in Western thought. Nearly three centuries later, Hume’s ideas continue to reverberate
Hume’s Intellectual Legacy: The 18th-Century Shock That Still Echoes Read More »
In 1795, amidst Europe’s revolutionary war and the looming threat of Napoleon, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant published a concise treatise that would resonate through the ages. “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch” introduced a groundbreaking concept for its era: a systematic framework aimed at eradicating war altogether. Over two centuries later, following two devastating world
Can Immanuel Kant’s ‘Perpetual Peace’ Stop the Next World War? Read More »
The saying often attributed to Voltaire—“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”—has become a cornerstone of Western thought on free expression. Although Voltaire never actually wrote these words, they encapsulate an Enlightenment ideal that has influenced constitutional frameworks, particularly in Europe and North America.
Exporting Enlightenment: Why Voltaire’s Free Speech Vision Doesn’t Translate Globally Read More »
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