The other morning I was walking down the stairs when I noticed a five-fingered appendage on the end of my arm, holding the handrail. My parents and schoolteachers had taught me it was called a “hand.” But I got to wondering, what exactly is my hand? The answer, it seemed to me, would . . . . Continue Reading »
The Greens are unhappy, and I don’t blame them. No world governance. No ecocide trials. Only $30 billion in redistribution on the table. And, from their perspective, the Cancun deal will still let the planet melt. From the story:“Cancun may have saved the . . . . Continue Reading »
The problem of biological colonialism, in which the rich exploit the bodies of the destitute—for organs, as surrogate gestating units, and for eggs, etc.—has got to be stopped. It is exploitation of the most crass kind. And now, New South Wales, Australia, is putting its . . . . Continue Reading »
1. Ralph’s book (see below) is really great. He reconciles philosophy and moral responsibility on the deepest level, but without getting all Kantian on us. 2. Because I’m known for liking compromises, why don’t I like the current one between Congress and the president (that may be . . . . Continue Reading »
Admirers of David Hart’s writing (his “On the Square” articles , for example) may want to know about the musical work of his brother, the Rev’d Robert Hart. Actually, non-admirers of his writing may want to know about it. Here is his (Robert Hart’s) latest, a Fugue on . . . . Continue Reading »
Obamacare’s ambitions to control the entire health care system through a medical mega-bureaucracy endangers the health care system. In addition to the toxic potential for rationing, the attempt to undermine private insurance—both for profit and not for profit—by preventing . . . . Continue Reading »
[The following is the preface to my forthcoming The Responsibility of Reason: Theory and Practice in a Liberal-Democratic Age (Rowman & Littlefield)] Propadeutic to a Thumotic and Erotic Ontology. This is the fanciful and facetious subtitle I used to try out on friends when asked about the book . . . . Continue Reading »
The BBC’s, The Joy of Statistics, produced a very illuminating illustration of how human life expectancy has increased over the last 400 years around the world. But it does more than that, I think. The clip demonstrates several important, and not obscure, points. The obvious . . . . Continue Reading »
1. An Irrational Guide to Gifts Imagine that you are walking by a storefront and you notice a beautiful coat that is just the right cut and color. You walk in to check it out, and up close it is even more beautiful. But then, you look at the price tag and you discover that it is about twice as . . . . Continue Reading »
Earlier this week, an Ivy League political science professor was arrested and charged with one count of incest for having a reportedly consensual sexual relationship with his twenty-four year old daughter. Normally, I’d find such a story too sordid and tabloid-esque to be worth commenting on. . . . . Continue Reading »
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