You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life. — Winston Churchill
It’s Good to Have Enemies (Churchill)
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
Researchers Say Meditation Cures Racial Prejudice: Science or Silliness?
Can meditation eradicate racial prejudice? Are Shirley MacLaine and Mark Zuckerberg right, that mind-altering calmness and unconditional, unthinking love could bring about world peace and knock the terrorists flat? New research has supposedly found that just seven minutes of loving-kindness … Continue reading
Cheer Up (Thomas Paine)
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. — Thomas Paine
“Putting Others Before Self”: A Cliché, Not a Standard
My recent article on the lost virtue of manners resulted in a lot of responses. The overwhelming majority were positive. A particularly insightful reader said this: At the base of any political system is the issue of, “Are we individuals … Continue reading
Bill Nye: The Tyrant Guy
American leftism/progressivism is the established way of thinking. It did not win by reason or persuasion; merely by default, or in the absence of any principled, rational alternative. The leftist agenda of a weak defense; unsustainable national debt; fostering dependence … Continue reading
Why the Left Loves John Kasich … For Now
Left-wing tabloid New York Daily News has endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Its editorial board described the Ohio Republican as someone who “marries a small government outlook with can-do effectiveness. … On the ideological spectrum …[Kasich] meets the tests of Republican … Continue reading
What Would a Constitutional Convention in 2016 Look Like?
Almost half of registered Democrats think the Constitution needs to be updated, according to the results of a new poll. A YouGov survey about the Constitution included a question of whether there should be another Constitutional convention to update the … Continue reading
It’s Risky Not to Take Risks!
Avoidance of risk is a major cause of personal problems.We hear a lot of talk about depression. What is depression? A lack of energy, motivation or purpose. What kills purpose? Very often, a habitual tendency to avoid risks. There’s actually … Continue reading
Bathrooms, North Carolina and the Forgotten Principle of Private Property
John Kasich says he wouldn’t have signed North Carolina’s so-called bathroom bill shielding businesses from anti-gay lawsuits and requiring transgender people to use restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. In an interview aired on CBS News’ “Face … Continue reading
Long Live Economic Inequality!
Inequality, we have to keep in mind, is not the same thing as poverty. When people like Timothy Noah complain that “income distribution in the United States is now more unequal than in Uruguay, Nicaragua, Guyana, and Venezuela,” they act … Continue reading
There is No Such Thing as Duty (Ayn Rand)
In reality and in the Objectivist ethics, there is no such thing as “duty.” There is only choice and the full, clear recognition of a principle obscured by the notion of “duty”: the Law of Causality. The proper approach to … Continue reading
Black Lives Matter and the New American Outrage Society
While campaigning for his wife Hillary in Philadelphia on Thursday, Bill Clinton implored the Black Lives Matter movement to “tell the truth” by admitting that they defend people who kill other black people. The former president’s speech was being interrupted … Continue reading