Mencken writes: ‘What is the chief mark of such a good man? That he cannot differentiate rationally between sin and sin—that a gnat gags him as badly as a camel. So with poor Gray. His initial peccadillo shocked him so … Continue reading
According to the principles of cognitive therapy, black-and-white thinking is a major cause of emotional problems such as depression and anxiety. Also known as all-or-nothing thinking, many cognitive therapists define it as seeing things in black-or-white categories. If a situation … Continue reading
The First Lady shrieks about American obesity every chance she gets. (Maybe she should get her husband to quit smoking first.) Some child and nutritional advocates are pushing for legislation to require fast food chain restaurants with at least 20 … Continue reading
A DrHurd.com reader writes: Sometime in 2012, the Supreme Court will have an opportunity to strike down the corrupt and unconstitutional ObamaCare law. Will they? There’s no way of knowing. In theory, the 5-4 conservative majority should strike it down. … Continue reading
When it comes to health care and education, conservatives like Newt Gingrich and socialist liberals are really on the same page. Yes, the conservatives want parents of school-aged children to have “choice.” But the federal education system is, by definition, … Continue reading
Occupy Wall Street protestors scream about “unfair advantages.” They claim it’s unfair for some people to make a profit, while others do not. Everybody should be equal, regardless of effort, ability or anything else. Yet Occupy Wall Street, as a … Continue reading
I recently heard of an attack on cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy which I’ve heard before, although not recently. The reminder inspired me to write this column. First, to readers unfamiliar, let me remind you of what cognitive-behavioral therapy is. It’s the method … Continue reading
Thanksgiving, we’re told, is a time to be thankful. Though that sounds very nice, it’s a bit too general for my taste. In an effort to be more specific, I like to look at Thanksgiving as a time of perspective: … Continue reading
Notice how the Democrats are less upset about the collapse of the budget “supercommittee” than the Republicans. This is because the whole deal was stacked in their favor in the first place. The programs hardest hit by these cuts are … Continue reading
Q: Dr. Hurd, What causes people to choose to perform an action that they know (consciously and subconsciously) to be morally wrong? I’m thinking, for example, of those who know, through the use of reason, that theft is a violation … Continue reading
The American belief that the United States is better than other countries has declined and is now on a par with countries in Western Europe. Less than 50 percent of Americans agreed with the statement, ‘Our people are not perfect, … Continue reading
Should the rich pay more in taxes, or not? This is always the question. Notice how the question is never: Should the government spend less? Or: Should the government do less? Or, better yet: Should the government have less power? … Continue reading