Essays

Philosophical essays.

Tangled web A Tangled Web of Guesses:A Critical Assessment of the Philosophy of Karl Popper (1996)A wide-ranging critique of Karl Popper’s philosophical work covering matters of interest to non-specialists and liberally illustrated with quotations from his books.  Includes chapters on Popper’s ethics and politics; his attack on Aristotle, and his ambivalence towards Marx.  The bulk of the material is devoted to criticising Popper’s fallibilism, or ‘conjectures and refutations’.  The paper led to some rather vitriolic reactions from Popperians.  Published by the UK Libertarian Alliance.(38 pages)

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mrslogic Mrs Logic and the Law:A Critique of Ayn Rand’s View of Government (1998)Ayn Rand is widely recognised as a rigorously logical thinker.  Unfortunately, this trait did not extend to her politics.  Her limited government position, and attack on anarcho-capitalism, are replete with fallacies.  Rand also ignored ethnohistory, anthropology and their widespread evidence of successful stateless societies.  Further, some of her political views conflict with other aspects of her philosophy.  Published by the UK Libertarian Alliance.  (11 pages)RIGHT CLICK here to download pdf.
debunk Debunking Popper:A Critique of Karl Popper’s Critical Rationalism (1999)A greatly condensed rewrite of “Tangled Web” with new material added.  Published by Reason Papers, #24, Fall 1999. (20 pages)RIGHT CLICK here to download pdf.
aynrand Ayn Rand in England (2004)An extensive review of the impact of Ayn Rand on ‘the other side of the pond.’  Lots of interesting information but with the sad conclusion that, in the UK, Rand is “either unknown, ignored or disparaged, except by a discerning few.”  Written as a contribution to the celebration of the Ayn Rand Centenary in 2005.  Published by The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, 5/2, Spring 2004. (38 pages)RIGHT CLICK to download pdf here.
reality The Facts of Reality:Logic and History in Objectivist Debates about Government (2005)A five-part, greatly expanded elaboration of “Mrs Logic.”  Part 1 criticizes David Kelley’s essay “The Necessity of Government;”  Part 2 examines, and offers a new interpretation of, individual rights;  Part 3 rebuts the proposition that ‘government is justified because it protects rights;’  Part 4 refutes the idea that ‘government is essential,’ while the final part examines some of Rand’s historical ideas in light of the evidence discussed.  Published by The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, 7/1, Fall 2005. Reprinted by the UK Libertarian Alliance in 2007.  (62 pages)RIGHT CLICK here to download pdf.
robertjames Robert James Bidinotto and the Contradiction in Anarchism (2006) An emphatic rebuttal of Bidinotto’s intemperate 1994 Full Context article “The Contradiction in Anarchism.”  Published by the UK Libertarian Alliance. (7 pages) RIGHT CLICK here to download pdf.
 moral Murray I. Franck and ‘Moral Taxation’ (2006) An exposure of the fallacies upon which Franck built his attempt to justify taxation.  Published by the UK Libertarian Alliance in 2006. (3 pages) RIGHT CLICK here to download pdf.
  Alyssa – A Tribute.  My warm and lasting appreciation of a true genius, Ayn Rand
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Nathan – A Tribute.  Nathanial Branden, born Nathan Blumenthal in Toronto in 1930 was Ayn Rand’s long-time protégé. A man as much maligned as respected, he was in fact a brilliant and original psychologist whose work I found immensely beneficial. 
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  CRT.  Some Notes on Critical Race Theory (CRT) When I learned that CRT was apparently being taught to young children in the USA as fact I was so appalled that I immediately wrote to warn my Member of Parliament here in the UK

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