Please note that these lectures are property of the author, and any duplication or other use requires the author's permission..
Multiculturalism, or Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain
This lecture takes a conservative view of multiculturalism, and argues against the notion that there is a link between race and culture. Focusing on economics, not race, would result in gains for all.
This lecture looks at two films, The Border and El Norte, and argues that a fundamental conflict exists between the requirments of verisimilitude in film and the ideological presuppositions of the filmmakers.
Forrest Gump: I Laughed, I Cried, I Joined The Republican Party
This is a brief, cranky review of a film that really annoyed me. My comments still stand.
This rant attempts to provide some terminological clarity when talking about drugs. It suggests that the first question we should ask is, "To what degree should the government be permitted to control your consciousness?"
Drug Transactions and Their Metaphors
This follow-up rant tries to talk about the metaphors we use to talk about drugs, such as "drug lords" or "the war on drugs."
Exploration, Travel, Tourism and the Anti-tourist: Looking for Authenticity in All the Wrong Places
Borrowing Paul Fussell's categories, and a bit from Walker Percy and Martin Heidegger, this lecture looks at the relationship between travel and authenticity. I've since changed my mind about this idea, but this is a good jumping off point to talk about what's valuable about travel.
The Space of the Psyche in Peter Ackroyd’s The House of Dr. Dee
This is a lecture I gave in Germany on one of my favorite books. It's connected conceptually to the article (to be found under "Articles") on Paul Auster entitled "Mirrors of Madness."
This biographical lecture examines the life and work of Arendt. I took the information from a published biography..
Hermeneutics and Postmodernism
This is a let's-find-out lecture on the historical origins of hermeneutics and its relation to postmodernism, suggesting that, hermeneutically, postmodernism is a type of intellectual fascism.
This is a little ditty I did on Baudrillard shortly after his book came out.
This is a travel article about our visit to Ecuador during the cholera epidemic.
Jean-Luc Godard and Film as an Imitative Structure
This film explores what we mean when we say film "imitates" life.