America’s Founding Fathers were the men who “gave us stars to steer by,” in the words of David McCullough. Their values shaped their vision, which in turn shaped the great American Experiment undertaken in 1776. The Framers were rather fond of looking back on antiquity to better understand the human story. It helped them better
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Increased secularization in America has brought with it a declined adherence to traditional religions. Yet at the same time, it sometimes seems like dogmatism is at an all-time high. While Americans have become more liberal with religion, many increasingly profess a rigid obedience to political, economic, social, and scientific positions with the same fervor usually
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Have you noticed that childhood and adolescent behavior problems seem to be a regular feature in the news lately? Schools especially are struggling with out-of-control children, and many parents are quick to thrust an iPad or phone into their child’s hands to simply “keep him quiet and out of trouble.” The prevalence of these behavior
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The modern attitude toward dress is that it has little effect on the way people function. In fact, people are advised that the more comfortable they are, the more efficient and happy they will be. People generally respond to such advice by collectively retreating into a shabby array of blue jeans or shorts, T-shirts or
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There’s a saying: It’s good to be the king. Tell that to Publius Helvius Pertinax Augustus. Pertinax came to power following the assassination of Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius whose reign was marred by erratic behavior, which included the slaughter of nobles and mass bloodshed in the Colosseum. (Commodus enjoyed fighting in the arena
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Nowadays, the norm when reading a book alone is to read it silently to oneself. Apparently, this practice was unusual in the ancient world. As an undergraduate I had to read St. Augustine’s Confessions (397-400), which some claim to be the first autobiography written in the Western world. At the time, I remember being taken
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