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  • Psychologist: Social Justice the new Religious Fundamentalism

    Psychologist: Social Justice the new Religious Fundamentalism0

    Religious believers sometimes say that atheism is a “faith,” and in that sense a religion. That’s debatable because they’re using the word ‘faith’ ambiguously, and trading on that ambiguity. But according to NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, there is a scientific sense in which a relatively new, secular “religion” of “social justice” is entrenching itself

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  • Why Is Violent Language Becoming So Normal?

    Why Is Violent Language Becoming So Normal?0

    The death a few days ago of Muhammad Ali, an icon of boxing as well as racial equality, reminds me and others of something that you too may have noticed: how violent language is increasingly being used to describe disagreement. One public figure criticizing another is “attacking” or “bashing” the other. When somebody’s reasoning is

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  • Did Darwin Plagiarize the Idea of ‘Natural Selection’?

    Did Darwin Plagiarize the Idea of ‘Natural Selection’?0

    One important skill of critical thinking is distinguishing facts from “factoids.” An example of the latter is the oft-repeated statistic that “50 percent of American marriages end in divorce.” That’s been repeated so often that most people believe it, but it’s actually been debunked. We’re all familiar with debunking. But what happens when, ironically enough,

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  • The Real Reason Students Should Study Philosophy

    The Real Reason Students Should Study Philosophy0

    Isn’t philosophy supposed to help people live well, not just exercise the mind? That was the ancient view. The evidence is clear that exposure to philosophical questions, ideas, and dialogue at an early age improves academic outcomes generally, and in particular cultivates the skills needed for reasoned dialogue. (Intellectual Takeout has posted several pieces to

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