In Leviticus, it is written: ‘You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.’ 1:6 ‘It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.’ 1:9 Sin offering: ‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a…
BLM: POLICING AS RITUAL SACRIFICE On two separate occasions I have explored the connection between US police killing and human sacrifice. I was unaware of the other important scholars who had already explored this idea. Brian Smith, formerly Professor of Religious Studies at UC Riverside writes: ‘’ …modern executions are more or less undeniably ritualised killings of a human being and so, of course, are those traditional religious practices termed ‘human sacrifices’. 1 Police killings in the US seem at…
![[:en]Howard University[:]](https://i0.wp.com/african-century.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2048px-Howard_University_Washington_DC_-_Founders_Library-1500x1122-1.jpg?fit=300%2C224&ssl=1)
I had something else to do today …but this cannot wait!!! Jeremy Tate and Cornel West have written an opinion piece (The Washington Post 20 April 2021 ) in response to Howard University’s culling of its classics department. If true the proposal by Howard University to cull its classics department is a disaster, the response by West and Tate are catastrophes. For Howard to ‘cancel’ the classics is possibly the result of the long term effects of the neo-liberal…
Racism is assumed in most Western philosophy to be a singular and widespread phenomena. However we should consider whether racism is more like a virus or bacteria. It can evolve and adapt to different environments. In addition some virus and bacteria mutate from virulent to innocuous and back again. Racism could be a family of human behaviours. While we identify the virulent strain as objectionable any suggestion that elements of it are widespread might suggest that the underlying behaviour…
Baggini has written a piece in Prospect magazine ‘ Is the University of Edinburgh right to “cancel” David Hume?’ 15 Sep 2020. He is seeking to defend Hume from accusations of racism while accepting his ‘unfortunate’ statements. He writes: ‘Hume was both a product of his time and like people of every time, had his blind spots.’ This statement implies that Hume’s views were uncontroversial during his time. This is completely untrue. His views were seriously challenged and…
It is with some hesitation that we address this issue and mention names. It does seem to be both important and implausible without naming names. With the insurgency of BLM Dr Kofi Bright may be able to find some cover. On 8 November 2019 in London Dr Bright, assistant professor in philosophy at London school of Economics, gave a public lecture on ‘Why do scientists lie?’ for the Royal Institute of Philosophy. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNs1sumAT68&t=774s) Only the formal lecture is presented…
Skidelsky writes on 20 July 2020 in Project Syndicate: ‘I still regard economics’ detachment from culture as a serious shortcoming in understanding human behavior. But I now see considerable merit in this cultural neutrality, because it provides a “safe space” for thinking amid the culture wars that currently convulse the non-scientific intelligentsia and about which journalists love to pontificate.’ and later: ‘Another point in favor of economics is its valid claim to be color- and gender-blind. ‘ Skidelsky, R….
Cornel West was once considered part of a triptych including Skip Gates, and Anthony Appiah, representing the Black Academy. This triptych can be viewed as either the leading edge of the Black Academy or a rogue’s gallery. Let us put this in context so as to understand the connection with Trump. We need to understand the historical dynamics that generated this context. For several decades ‘the conservative moment’ involved suppressing dissent of both left and right by denying it…
After the widespread diffusion of the video of the assault on George Floyd rioting broke out in US cities calling for the arrest and charging of the police officers involved. There was considerable expressed surprise that when the demands were met the riots escalated. ‘The turmoil was on display a short distance from the White House, where President Trump had called earlier in the day for his supporters to rally. Instead, hundreds of protesters mobilized on the streets of…
At the present time the world dominance of US culture seems uncontestable. However closer scrutiny would show that the world is a far more complex place and the apparent dominance can be less than it seems. First, we can begin with the humorous. I remember listening to an American in the 1980’s describe the coming world dominance of US culture as inevitable and universal and as a proof and precursor he pointed to the ubiquity of the ‘Walkman’. It…
