Stephen Ronald Craig Hicks (born August 19, 1960) is a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadians ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

. He teaches at

Rockford University Rockford University is a private university in Rockford, Illinois. It was founded in 1847 as Rockford Female Seminary and changed its name to Rockford College in 1892, and to Rockford University in 2013. History Rockford Female Seminary was ...

, where he also directs the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship.

Career

Hicks earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(Honours, 1981) and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degrees from the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

, and his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(1991) from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

. His doctoral thesis was a defense of

foundationalism Foundationalism concerns philosophical theories of knowledge resting upon non-inferential justified belief, or some secure foundation of certainty such as a conclusion inferred from a basis of sound premises.Simon Blackburn, ''The Oxford Dictio ...

. Hicks is the author of six books and a documentary. ''Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault'' (Scholargy, 2004) argues that

postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...

is best understood as a rhetorical strategy of the academic left developed in reaction to the failure of

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

. and

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

. Additionally, Hicks has published articles and essays on a range of subjects, including entrepreneurism,

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

in academia, the history and development of

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

Objectivism Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian Americans, Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with prod ...

business ethics Business ethics (also known as Corporate Ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business co ...

and the

philosophy of education The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It includes the examination of educational theories, the presuppositions present in them, and the arguments ...

, including a series of

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

lectures. Hicks is also the co-editor, with

David Kelley David Christopher Kelley (born June 23, 1949) is an American philosopher. He is a professed Objectivist, though his position that Objectivism can be revised and influenced by other schools of thought has prompted disagreements with other Objec ...

, of a critical thinking textbook, ''The Art of Reasoning: Readings for Logical Analysis'' (W. W. Norton & Co., second edition, 1998), ''Entrepreneurial Living'' with Jennifer Harrolle (CEEF, 2016), ''Liberalism Pro and Con'' (Connor Court, 2020), ''Art: Modern, Postmodern, and Beyond'' (with

Michael Newberry Michael Newberry is an American painter based in Idyllwild, California. He is a representational artist, blending a variety of influences, notably Rembrandt and the French Impressionists. His major works are typically life-sized canvases. Educ ...

, 2021) and ''Eight Philosophies of Education'' (with Andrew C. Colgan, forthcoming, 2023).

Nietzsche and the Nazis

Hicks' is best known for his documentary and book, ''Nietzsche and the Nazis'', which is an examination of the ideological and philosophical roots of

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

, particularly how

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...

's ideas were used and misused by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the Nazis to justify their beliefs and practices. This was released in 2006 as a video documentary and then in 2010 as a book.

Criticism

Hicks's book ''Explaining Postmodernism'' was criticised by Matt McManus (lecturer in Sociology at the University of Calgary and the author of ''The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism'' and ''A Critical Legal Examination of Liberalism and Liberal Rights'' amongst other books) as misrepresenting much of

Western philosophy Western philosophy encompasses the philosophical thought and work of the Western world. Historically, the term refers to the philosophical thinking of Western culture, beginning with the ancient Greek philosophy of the pre-Socratics. The word ' ...

and being "full of misreadings, suppositions, rhetorical hyperbole and even flat out factual errors." McManus also says, (The full quotation from Lyotard and Hicks's gloss on it can be read here).

Public Debates

*In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hicks teamed with Antonella Mary and Axel Kaiser to debate three Marxist professors: *In Brisbane, Australia, Hicks debated democratic socialist professor John Quiggin: *In New York City, USA, Hicks debated libertarian professor Thaddeus Russell: *In the Defy Media forum, Hicks debated Catholic conservative intellectual John C. Wright:“Theist vs. Atheist: What Should You Believe?”
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Publications

* Nietzsche and the Nazis (Ockham's Razor, 2010) * Free Speech & Postmodernism (Ockham's Razor, 2010) * Ayn Rand and Contemporary Business Ethics (Ockham's Razor, 2010) * Defending Shylock: Productive Work in Financial Markets (Ockham's Razor, 2011) * What Business Ethics Can Learn From Entrepreneurship (Ockham's Razor, 2011) * Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (Ockham's Razor, 2013) * Entrepreneurial Living: 15 Stories of Innovation, Risk, and Achievement and One Story of Abject Failure (CEE Foundation, 2017) * More Entrepreneurial Living: 16 More Stories of Innovation, Risk, and Achievement (CEE Foundation, 2017) * Pocket Guide to Postmodernism (The Atlas Society, 2020) * Pocket Guide to Philosophies of Education (The Atlas Society, 2021)

References

External links

The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship's site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Stephen 1960 births Living people American philosophers American anti-communists Canadian philosophers Canadian anti-communists Critics of Marxism Critics of postmodernism Indiana University alumni Objectivists Activists from Toronto Rockford University faculty University of Guelph alumni Free speech activists Objectivism scholars Anti-anarchism in the United States Nietzsche scholars Historians of Nazism