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22Book ReviewsFrederick Appel,.Nietzsche contra Democracy. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1999. Pp. xv + 174. $29.95 (review)Ethics 111 (1): 156-157. 2000.
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22Book ReviewsTara Smith,. Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. x+318. $92.00 ; $26.99 (review)Ethics 119 (2): 394-397. 2009.
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22Beyond Master and Slave: Developing a Third ParadigmJournal of Value Inquiry 49 (3): 353-367. 2015.
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21Philosophy in the Twilight Zone (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2009.Utilizing a series of essays examining the broad philosophical concepts embedded in Rod Serling's series, _The Twilight Zone_, __Philosophy in The Twilight Zone__ provides a platform for further philosophical discussion. Features essays by eminent contemporary philosophers concerning the over-arching themes in _The Twilight Zone,_ as well as in-depth discussions of particular episodes Fuses popular cult entertainment with classical philosophical perspectives Acts as a guide to unearthing larger …Read more
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20Punishment, Revenge, and the Minimal Functions of the StateBowling Green Studies in Applied Philosophy 1 79-88. 1979.
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20Reply to Stephen R. C. Hicks, "Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand" (Spring 2009): Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand: A Somewhat Different ApproachJournal of Ayn Rand Studies 10 (2): 293-312. 2009.If we examine Rand's relation to Nietzsche in terms of the number of issues on which the late Rand agreed with him, the connection between them looks extremely weak. On the other hand, if we look at the relation in terms of Rand's philosophical development, the connection is much more profound. Nietzsche is where Rand began as a thinker, and though she traveled far from this source, her thinking always bore important traces of her beginnings.
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20Self-FulfillmentPhilosophical Review 109 (4): 589. 2000.As its title suggests, the subject of this book is the nature of self-fulfillment, which the author defines as “carrying to fruition one’s deepest desires or one’s worthiest capacities”. It treats this subject as a specifically ethical one. The motivation behind it lies in the author’s conviction that all other norms and ideals have value only insofar as they serve to advance this one.
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19What Art DoesJournal of Ayn Rand Studies 2 (2). 2001.Lester Hunt argues that, despite its being too narrow in the topics it treats, Louis Torres and Michelle Marder Kamhi's What Art Is offers a fascinating account of Ayn Rand's views on art and, in addition, constitutes a major contribution to Objectivist aesthetics
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17Literature as Fable, Fable as ArgumentPhilosophy and Literature 33 (2): 369-385. 2009.In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Literature as Fable, Fable as ArgumentLester H. HuntIIn an ancient Chinese text we find the following exchange between the Confucian sage Mencius and one of his adversaries:Kao Tzu said, "Human nature is like whirling water. Give it an outlet in the east and it will flow east; give an outlet in the west and it will flow west. Human nature does not show any preference for either good or bad, just as water does not show any preference …Read more
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17Anarchy, State, and Utopia: An Advanced GuideWiley-Blackwell. 2015._Anarchy, State, and Utopia: An Advanced Guide_ presents a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the ideas expressed in Robert Nozick’s highly influential 1974 work on free-market libertarianism—considered one of the most important and influential works of political philosophy published in the latter half of the 20th-century. Makes accessible all the major ideas and arguments presented in Nozick’s complex masterpiece Explains, as well as critiques, Robert Nozick’s theory of free market li…Read more
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17I sometimes entertain my non-academic friends by telling them that, at the end of each course I teach, before I compute my students’ grades, I pause nervously while I wait to be graded by my students. This process can be described less paradoxically, but surely no more truthfully, as follows. In my department, and as far as I know all the departments at my university, each course ends with students anonymously filling out forms in which they evaluate the teacher and the course. The form includes…Read more
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16Roger Crisp, How Should One Live? Essays on the Virtues:How Should One Live? Essays on the VirtuesEthics 109 (3): 656-659. 1999.
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15Review of Douglas N. Walton: Courage: A Philosophical Investigation (review)Ethics 98 (1): 172-173. 1987.
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15And Now, Rod Serling, Creator of The Twilight ZoneIn Noël Carroll & Lester H. Hunt (eds.), Philosophy in the Twilight Zone, Wiley‐blackwell. 2009.
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14Book ReviewsJulia. Driver, Uneasy Virtue.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Pp. xxi+132. $53.00Ethics 114 (1): 167-170. 2003.
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13Flourishing Objectivism (review)Journal of Ayn Rand Studies 2 (1). 2000.Lester Hunt reviews Tara Smith's Viable Values: A Study of the Root and Reward of Morality. He finds it an excellent contribution to the ongoing discussion of Objectivist ethics. Especially noteworthy, he says, are Smith's treatment of the concept of intrinsic value, her use of the concept of flourishing, and her treatment of the relations between the interests of different people. Though the book provides no sustained discussion of casuistical applications, epistemological assumptions, or poten…Read more
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11Aristos Michelle Kamhi and Louis Torres are working hard to bring attention to Ayn Rand's much neglected theory of art and literature. This is their web site. It was dormant while they wer finishing their book, but now they are adding new material again.
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10LibertarianismIn Hugh LaFollette (ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Ethics, Blackwell. 2013.
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9You can view some of my published rantings by clicking below. All of which, except for the first one, were published in student newspapers here at UW. There was also an op-ed piece in the Wisconsin State Journal , but I don't seem to have an electronic copy of it. (Note: Some of these were published under different titles than those used here.).
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7Nietzsche and the Origin of VirtueRoutledge. 1991.In _Ecce Homo_ Friedrich Nietzsche calls himself "the first immoralist" and adds "that makes me the annihilator _par excellence_". Lester Hunt examines this and other radical claims in order to show that Nietzsche does have a coherent ethical and political philosophy. He uses Nietzsche's writings as a starting point for a critique of a wider, contemporary ethical project - one that should inform our lives as well as our thoughts
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7Nietzsche and the Origin of VirtueRoutledge. 1991.In _Ecce Homo_ Friedrich Nietzsche calls himself "the first immoralist" and adds "that makes me the annihilator _par excellence_". Lester Hunt examines this and other radical claims in order to show that Nietzsche does have a coherent ethical and political philosophy. He uses Nietzsche's writings as a starting point for a critique of a wider, contemporary ethical project - one that should inform our lives as well as our thoughts.
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6The Right to Arms as a Means-RightPublic Affairs Quarterly 25 (2): 113-130. 2011.1. Two IssuesIn recent years, a number of philosophers have discussed the possibility that the widely recognized right of self-defense includes another, more controversial right: a right to arms, where “arms” is understood to include guns. I will argue in what follows that the right of self-defense does indeed have this feature, and I will offer a new explanation of why it does so—an explanation that, despite its novelty is, I believe, deeply rooted in common sense.I n Section 2, I will clarify …Read more
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6Philosophy in the Twilight Zone (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2009.Utilizing a series of essays examining the broad philosophical concepts embedded in Rod Serling's series, The Twilight Zone, Philosophy in The Twilight Zone provides a platform for further philosophical discussion. Features essays by eminent contemporary philosophers concerning the over-arching themes in The Twilight Zone, as well as in-depth discussions of particular episodes Fuses popular cult entertainment with classical philosophical perspectives Acts as a guide to unearthing larger question…Read more
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5© 2016 The AuthorsStomatal opening and closure depends on changes in turgor pressure acting within guard cells to alter cell shape [1]. The extent of these shape changes is limited by the mechanical properties of the cells, which will be largely dependent on the structure of the cell walls. Although it has long been observed that guard cells are anisotropic due to differential thickening and the orientation of cellulose microfibrils [2], our understanding of the composition of the cell wall that…Read more
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4Character and CultureRowman & Littlefield Publishers. 1997.Character and Culture presents an integrated account of the nature of character and a discussion of the various ways in which it is influenced, for better and worse, by social and political institutions. Through a careful analysis of virtue and vice, Hunt argues that character traits consist, in part but very crucially, of certain ideas on which the individual acts. Institutions such as commerce and private gift exchange, says Hunt, can encourage people to possess positive character traits—not b…Read more
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4Nietzsche and the Origin of VirtueRoutledge. 1991.In _Ecce Homo_ Friedrich Nietzsche calls himself "the first immoralist" and adds "that makes me the annihilator _par excellence_". Lester Hunt examines this and other radical claims in order to show that Nietzsche does have a coherent ethical and political philosophy. He uses Nietzsche's writings as a starting point for a critique of a wider, contemporary ethical project - one that should inform our lives as well as our thoughts.
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4Ayn Rand's Evolving View of Friedrich NietzscheIn Allan Gotthelf & Gregory Salmieri (eds.), A Companion to Ayn Rand, Wiley-blackwell. 2016.This chapter describes the story of Ayn Rand's changing attitude toward Friedrich Nietzsche. One thing that can make the relationship between them difficult to understand is the fact that Rand's relation to Nietzsche changes considerably over the years. The history of this relationship can be divided roughly into three different periods. The first begins during her years as a student in Russia and ends with the completion of The Fountainhead (approximately 1921–1942). The second period follows u…Read more
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University of Wisconsin, MadisonProfessor
Oakland Heights, Wisconsin, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Value Theory |
Areas of Interest
Value Theory |