The good life...whatever that means
Here it is, June—meaning the year’s half over. Have you been getting the most out of it?
Is “because it’s there” sufficient reason for climbing a mountain?
In my latest book review for The Objective Standard, I take a look at a new book about Epicureanism—the main philosophical rival to Stoicism in the ancient world. It’s a pretty good book, but it really sparked a thought about the difference between Aristotle’s idea that “the good life” means an active effort to attain one’s highest potential, and Epicurus’s idea that the “good life” means tranquility or the elimination of extreme or disturbing passions and pains. Excerpt:
[Aristotle’s ideal man] pictures the fine or apt result (kalos, in Greek) and aims his actions toward it, not because it’s pleasant or will bring him tranquility, but because it ought to be done…. The textbook illustration of it was provided by mountaineer George Mallory, who, when asked why he wanted to scale Mount Everest, memorably replied, “because it is there….”
That sort of ambition—assuming that’s even the right word—is not espoused by Epicureanism. On the contrary, Epicurus looked at virtue from the inside out: starting with the individual’s desires and recommending judicious actions to attain and maintain tranquility. “He who has learned the limits of life,” Epicurus declared, “knows that it is easy to provide that which removes the feeling of pain owing to want and make one’s whole life perfect. So there is no need for things that involve struggle….” Had Epicurus been around to advise Mallory, he probably would have encouraged him to start a small business instead…. After all—as Epicurus would have been the first to point out—Mallory died on Mount Everest, leaving behind a widow and three children under the age of ten.
The natural right of property
About two years ago now, the Texas A&M Journal of Property Law asked me to participate in a symposium on a forthcoming book by Professor Eric Claeys on the philosophical basis of private property rights. The written versions of the papers presented at that symposium have just been published, and you can read mine here. (Claeys’s book is still forthcoming.)
A win for economic liberty in Georgia
The Georgia Supreme Court yesterday struck down a state law requiring people to get state licenses to practice “lactation consulting”—i.e., helping new mothers learn to nurse their babies—for money. (No license was required to do it for free.) It was the second time the court had reviewed the case—which was litigated by the Institute for Justice—and we at the Goldwater Institute had filed briefs in both cases. You can learn more about it here.
Censorship is imbedded in “anti-racist” theory
The Goldwater Institute filed a brief in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals this month in a case where two public school employees are suing after they were required to attend an “anti-racism” training—and were required to agree with it or stifle their disagreement. As we argue in the brief, censorship is embedded in “anti-racism,” since it holds that disagreeing with “anti-racist” notions (such as the idea that the U.S. is a white supremacist nation, or that people should be treated the same regardless of skin color) is automatically deemed racist. You can learn more about the case and read the brief here. I also talked about the case on the Marc Cox Morning Show to discuss the brief (listen here) and the Randy Tobler show (listen here).
First and Second Amendment rights…
The Institute also filed a brief in the Supreme Court urging the justices to take up a case in which New York’s chief financial services regulator strongly suggested that banks cease doing business with the NRA. The NRA said that violated their freedom of speech—and our brief supports their argument. You can read that here.
…and Parental Rights
The Institute also filed a brief in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in a case in which a school began calling a student by a different name, using different gender pronouns for the student, and allowing the student to use the other-gender bathroom, all without informing the parents about this. The Institute takes the position that parents have a right to be informed of such matters and that a school’s choice to conceal this information from parents—under a blanket policy that takes into consideration no individual circumstances—violates the parental right to control the upbringing of the child. You can read more about that case here.
The latest on The Zone
I also wrote up a blog post on the latest developments in the case(s) involving the homeless camp in Phoenix known as The Zone. You can read that here.
Discussing Freedom’s Furies with New Books Network
I joined the podcast New Books Network this month to talk about my book Freedom’s Furies. We talked not just about the lives and ideas of Isabel Paterson, Rose Wilder Lane, and Ayn Rand, but also about the process of writing and researching. You can listen here.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
I’ve recently read Sammy Davis Jr.’s autobiography Yes, I Can, which is just tremendous—one of the great American autobiographies. He really was an astounding talent. My favorite Sammy song is “I’m Not Anyone,” which was written by Paul Anka at his request to be his version of “My Way.” I actually think it’s better than “My Way”:
This month should wrap up the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 term with some big decisions, including the Brackeen case. I’ll also be speaking at this year’s LevelUp Conference—I’ll be discussing the art of Frank Lloyd Wright and participating in a panel on the future of civilization. Onward!