Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
An Intellectual Breath of Fresh Air Blows Through Cornell
Finally, some good news. In the midst of Obama’s dreary, guilt-ridden/innovation-crushing socialism, and stern rebukes combined with subtle threats of intimidation with any and all who disagree, consider this intellectual and psychological breath of fresh air coming out of academia … Continue reading
Two Strikes Against Donald Trump
In the last week, Donald Trump gave advocates of limited and individual rights-respecting government two reasons not to support him. First, his position on eminent domain. “I think eminent domain is wonderful if you’re building a highway and you need … Continue reading
“Helicopter Colleges” Confront Lack of “Grit” in Students
Interesting fact: The head of the student counseling department at Boston College recently sent the following email to his faculty: “I have done a considerable amount of reading and research in recent months on the topic of resilience in college … Continue reading
Censorship Can Happen Here (And Already Is)
Freedom of speech is the rare exception of history. In the United States of the last 250 years, it has been more prevalent than ever known before. But that has not been the case for most of human history; and … Continue reading
Don’t Take Things Personally (Even If it IS Personal)
Sometimes, when we feel upset about another person’s actions, we’re taking something personal that probably is not personal. A cardinal theme in cognitive therapy (what I do daily with people) is helping them challenge the idea that something is meant … Continue reading
New Research: How Islam is Psychologically Toxic
Some people object to even talking about “Muslims” or “Muslim culture” as a group, because doing so, they claim, deindividualizes and stereotypes them. “Stop making it about ‘us’ versus ‘them,’” a few readers of this column complain. However, it’s an … Continue reading
John Kasich Demonstrates Why Republicans Are Imploding
As a therapist, I often say to people, “You’re saying you want contradictory things. You want a new career. But you don’t want risk. But it’s impossible to have both. Nothing good happens without risks, and risks do not always … Continue reading
Recycling: The Equivalent of Prayer in Urban Religion?
Recycling has been a given in American culture for the last 25 years or so. It seems, to many, ludicrous to challenge it. But when we recycle, there’s a basic assumption at work. “This is good for the planet, and … Continue reading
Sovereign (Buddha)
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. — Buddha
The Massively Underappreciated Virtue of Egoism in Business
The following comments were written by Carl Barney, a highly successful businessman and regular reader of Dr. Michael Hurd’s writings. Carl Barney is the chairman of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE), which consists of a group of … Continue reading
Feeling “Berned” by Socialism
The age-old complaint against socialism is that it’s impractical and too expensive. Both complaints are entirely valid. However, this side of Ayn Rand, it’s rare to hear anyone go any further. In a recent washingtonpost.com column [10-1-15] David A. Fahrenthold … Continue reading