One of my favorite sayings (I don’t know the author) is, ‘If you subsidize something, you’ll get more of it.’ I’ll expand the saying to a wider realm than economics: ‘If you excuse something, you’ll see more of it.’ Excuses, … Continue reading
Does money buy you happiness? No. But money is not irrelevant. Money buys you choices. People are happier when they have more choices. It’s not money itself that makes someone happy; it’s the ability to spend it that liberates one … Continue reading
A reader asks: Do we have a responsibility to help our parents out as they age because they raised us and helped us become adults? I know you don’t subscribe to an ethical system of self-sacrifice, and wonder where you … Continue reading
Michael Ledeen of PJMedia.com reports the following on 9/3/13: The Romeike family, Christian evangelicals, wanted to homeschool their children, but the German authorities wouldn’t permit it. So the Romeikes came to America (Tennessee, to be precise), where there’s lots of … Continue reading
A journalist from Cosmopolitan Magazine/U.K. recently asked for my feedback on the issue of honesty. Here are the questions, along with my answers. Why do some people find it difficult to be honest? The most common reason is fear of … Continue reading
The conventional ‘wisdom’ suggests that self-interest destroys a society; and self-sacrifice preserves it. Let’s apply this idea to daily life. When I’m driving on a highway, I’m counting not only on my own sense of self-interest and self-preservation, but also … Continue reading
Aristotle: ‘Those who assert that the mathematical sciences say nothing of the beautiful or the good are in error. For these sciences say and prove a great deal about them; if they do not expressly mention them, but prove attributes … Continue reading
What’s a work ethic? And if it’s important, why is it important? I found this definition of ‘work ethic’ at Wikepedia: Work ethic is a value based on hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral … Continue reading
Ideas have consequences. Even if your ideas about matters such as free will are implicit and subconscious, you still hold them. Which philosophical ideas you hold determine how you will approach your day—indeed, your entire life. The dominant idea of … Continue reading
I often hear well-meaning people say, ‘I know what decision is best for me. But I can’t do what’s selfish, can I?’ For example, maybe you don’t want to end a relationship that’s no longer making you happy. Or maybe … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: How would you recommend overcoming a fear of something? What steps should you take to combat a phobia? And should you do something as extreme as what G. Gordon Liddy said he did as a youth to … Continue reading
Ohio prosecutors say they may seek the death penalty against Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man charged with the kidnap and rape of three women he brutalized for a decade while reportedly inducing abortions in at least one of the captives. … Continue reading