Dear Dr. Hurd: I lie for reasons other than personal gain or approval. I make up stories about adventures I’ve never had and things like that, and I add shocking things. It’s not in my rational self-interest and it puts … Continue reading
CNN.com reports: France’s socialist administration wants to raise taxes on citizens earning more than 1 million euros ($1.3 million) annually to 75%. The Russian Federation has a flat income tax rate of 13%, RIA Novosti reported. France’s constitutional council struck … Continue reading
Q: Dear Dr. Hurd: Is it true, as some people believe, that you don’t need religion to know right from wrong, that all you need is empathy? A: Religion is faith-based and refers to the supernatural. How is one to … Continue reading
‘Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year because it’s a time when people instinctively, intuitively turn to family,’ Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, DC. said. ‘They also turn to the whole experience of love in their lives. … Continue reading
A reader asked me to comment on an article written by the mother of a would-be killer, a violent young person with no conscience whom the mother felt should be entitled to mental health services to correct his low character. … Continue reading
Past or present, old-fashioned or “progressive,” most parents still agree on one thing: Teach your child not to be selfish. If you ask me, this is the single biggest mistake a parent can make. Telling a child not to be … Continue reading
Throughout human history, the greatest of the great innovators have been rebuffed, persecuted or even put to death. Socrates — regardless of what one thinks of his philosophy — was put to death for asking questions that even the democratic … Continue reading
Everything good in human life comes from reason. By “reason” I mean rational, reality-based measures to attain survival and happiness in life. The primary arenas in which reason operates are science and business. By “science” I mean genuine science, based … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I wonder if you could help me explain the difference between being kind and being everyone’s keeper. Is kindness “looking after others?” And, is this way of relating to others contagious, as many people believe? Reply: Kindness … Continue reading
Andrew Bernstein, author of ‘Capitalist Solutions’ and other excellent books, said the following: ‘Nothing is given to man on earth — struggle is built into the nature of life, and conflict is possible — the hero is the man who … Continue reading
First, here’s the problem with Democrats: They claim that socialism is good in theory AND good in practice. It’s good in theory, they claim, because the purpose of the individual is to take care of his fellow man. Government’s purpose … Continue reading
Vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan has reportedly had favorable things to say about Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and the philosophy of Objectivism, which stresses the absolutism of reason, reality and individual rights (including laissez-faire capitalism). The New Yorker magazine … Continue reading