Sam Ben-Meir, PhD is an adjunct professor at Mercy College. His current research focuses on environmental ethics and animal studies. sam@alonben-meir.com
By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — It never ceases to surprise me how merely the suggestion that our current global capitalistic system is not the best humanity can do for itself, is so often met with virulent hostility. One would think that when we are still recovering from the economic crisis of 2007-2008 (and many […]
An alternative to capitalism? Read More »
International, Sam Ben-Meir, USABy Sam Ben-Meir VIENNA, Austria – Among Vienna’s many landmarks, few are as unmistakable and beloved as its Riesenrad, the giant Ferris wheel that stands in the Prater amusement park, only a few miles from the city center. At its apex of two hundred and twelve feet, visitors are granted a unique vantage on an
The view from above: Vienna at a glance Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-MeirBy Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Visitors to the Frick Collection in New York City will likely be familiar with the magnificent Self Portrait (1658) of Rembrandt that hangs in the main gallery. The artist presents himself as an imposing father-figure, like some patriarch of old. His dress is formal, and utterly distinctive – a
‘Abraham and the Angels’ by Rembrandt at the Frick Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-MeirBy Sam Ben-Meir DOBBS FERRY, New York — In its attack on the very foundations of science, Trumpism constitutes an epistemic disaster: we are facing a crisis in terms of knowledge and objective inquiry. Epistemology (or the theory of knowledge) is concerned with, among other things, what right we have to the beliefs we hold
Trump denies science, and even knowledge Read More »
Sam Ben-Meir, The World We Share, USABy Sam Ben-Meir ROME, Italy – For international collage artist, Michael Anderson, Jean-Michel Basquiat is the single most significant artist of the last fifty years: “Picasso, Pollack, Basquiat,” he tells me. There is no denying the immense influence of this extraordinary painter, who in a short but meteoric career of seven years produced an astonishing
Hero- Martyr: Basquiat and Samson Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-MeirBy Sam Ben-Meir DOBBS FERRY, New York — The United States is witnessing a disturbing rise in anti-Semitic acts, which are sweeping over the country in wave after wave. In St. Louis, more than a hundred tombstones were tipped over; similar hate crimes have taken place in Philadelphia and New York. Attacks are taking place not
How ‘Trumpism’ feeds anti-Semitism Read More »
Sam Ben-Meir, USABy Sam Ben-Meir JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — During President Trump’s first full week in office he has begun to dismantle America’s moral standing on the international stage. From his reconsideration of CIA ‘black sites’ to his insistence on vast voter fraud, to his inhumane ban on immigration from Muslim countries, Trump seems to be
Trump is dismantling America’s moral standing Read More »
International, Middle East, Sam Ben-Meir, USABy Sam Ben-Meir JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — This month commemorates seventy-five years since the attack on Pearl Harbor by the forces of Imperial Japan – an attack in which 2,403 Americans were killed and directly led to the United States’ entry into World War II. By December 11th, the United States was officially at
America must not normalize the alt-right Read More »
Sam Ben-Meir, USABy Sam Ben-Meir JERSEY CITY, New Jersey –Donald Trump’s obscene demagoguery; his contemptuous regard for the first amendment, his desire to expand the authorities of the presidency (the awesome power of which has never been equal to what it is now), his belligerent and threatening attitude towards the judiciary, his shameless blurring of private and
Trump a symptom of global discontent Read More »
International, Sam Ben-Meir, USA