History of Japan from the Heian period through the Second World War

For readers who like to study history, whether rigorously or simply for the enjoyment of historical discussion, last week I finished listening to a series of podcasts - much more like a series of extensive lectures, with each entry spanning 4 to 5 hours in length - on the history of Japan and its involvement …

The US election and my holiday reading list

It is reasonable to wait for confirmation; however, as things stand, it appears Donald Trump is about to get walloped in the election, losing both in terms of the electoral college and the popular vote. One might indeed take a moment to say, 'good riddance!'. But it will take a lot more than a Biden …

Brownian Motion

R.C. Smith In the past I have regularly written about and reflected on numerous examples with regards to the practice of science. Not only is this attached to my main, core interests as a physics student aspiring to become a good physicist and a good scientist, which inspires me to think deeply about science. I …

On Current Events, Evolution and Civilization

R.C. Smith As far back as 4 million years ago and the period of Australopithecus afarensis, the standard model of hominin evolution offers valuable pieces of insight as to the importance of humanity's great duel with nature. The current consensus, which is held by most scientists, places a significant moment in hominin evolution at the …

A Moment with Newton

R.C. Smith Over the summer break I set myself the task of reading through a fantastic recently published edition of the Principia. It has so far been immensely enjoyable. And, in the future, I do not doubt that I will dedicate an entire series of blog posts or essays to my working through Newton's Principia. …

Exponents, History, Civilization

I decided to make a video the other day on exponent properties. I like to think about mathematical concepts and to explore first principles. I spend a lot of my spare time working through proofs and also studying the history of mathematics and physics (as well as science in general). A natural extension of these …

Reclaiming the Enlightenment: Grounding Normativity

[An earlier unedited draft of this article was written with contributions by Arnold De Graaff. It has since become single authored and has been revised, updated and shortened.] R.C. Smith The Interrelated Nature of our Global Crisis: A Summary i) The situation today – A brief statement of need “The Enlightenment”, Theodor Adorno and Max …

An Engagement with Dialectic of Enlightenment

[Originally published by Heathwood Press – 10 July, 2015] Note: This is the second essay of a collection by R.C. Smith that examines certain key concepts of Adorno’s social philosophy, with a mind toward discerning which of these concepts are still alive and relevant to 21st Century critical theory. Heathwood will be publishing each essay …

Human History, the Existential, and Reason Against Orthodoxy

- R.C. Smith My first book, Consciousness and Revolt, was written almost like an existential treatise. It sought to analysis patterns and trends in relation to human behaviour throughout history, focusing in particular on the re-occurrence of popular forms of orthodoxy and the epistemology behind them. In simple terms, it sought to critique the tendency …