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On the Naivete of Ayn Rand

Paul Zummo ( Crankycon ) has written a good review of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged : The atheism is only a small part of the issue with objectivism. Galt (and thus Rand’s) objection to the concept of original sin is naive, but even absent this aspect of objectivism, it remains a . . . . Continue Reading »

The Jewish Split over Obama

In case anyone failed to catch my drift last week, permit me to reiterate my distaste for yet another protest from the collected Jewish leadership over a supposed Catholic agenda to convert us. When Jews get together at the moment, do you think they complain about how many of our co-religionists we . . . . Continue Reading »

Creeping Technocracy-Watch

Secondhand Smoke has the scoop . Watching bioethicists consense is like watching water condense: dull, impersonal, and you know how it’s gonna end. Still, I’m sure there are many who would prefer it to all that nasty , dirty , tumultuous political stuff! . . . . Continue Reading »

Power to the Bioethicists, Right On!

I have long suspected the bioethics movement wishes to have decisional power over public policy.  Now, over at the Hastings Center Website, comes the suggestion that bioethicists should—perhaps (overt advocacy in the field is always couched)—be given more power.  From the . . . . Continue Reading »

Trading Culture Wars for Culture

Matthew Milliner’s recent article for Public Discourse (which Micah pointed out last week) is a triumph that had me shouting ‘yes’ all the way through. As a young conservative who remains hopeful that conservatism offers something deeper than tax cuts or strong defense, I found . . . . Continue Reading »

I Liked It Better At The Museum

A recent experiment reveals that people rate pictures as more aesthetically pleasing if they believe they come from art galleries : Aesthetic judgments, like most judgments, depend on context. Whether an object or image is seen in daily life or in an art gallery can significantly modulate the . . . . Continue Reading »

Obamacare: “All About Rationing”

Harvard Professor and former Reagan economic adviser Martin Feldstein writes today in the Wall Street Journal that Obamacare is “all about rationing. From the column:The president has emphasized the importance of limiting services to “health care that works.” To identify such care, . . . . Continue Reading »

Budget Renovations For the Frugal Church

The other day we visited Saint John the Baptist in Tryon, North Carolina, where renovations gallop apace. Here, today, you may tour — not for the sake of comparison; as we all know, comparisons are odious — my own parish church, inside and out. Now, I love it, but as you can see, this is . . . . Continue Reading »

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