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Why ‘Uncomfortable’ Books Like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Are Precisely the Ones Kids Should be Reading 0
- Culture
- October 20, 2017
Another book has made the infamous “banned books” list. The public school district in Biloxi, Mississippi decided to pull To Kill a Mockingbird from the eighth grade reading curriculum this year because, district officials said, “There is some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable.” If the language in To Kill a Mockingbird makes
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The Rosy—and False—Narrative of American Public Schooling 0
- Education
- October 20, 2017
Humans tend to romanticize the past. In many ways it helps us see the good in what has been and what is now, but in other ways it disguises the truth. The history of American public schooling is a notable example of viewing history through rose-colored glasses. In my college and graduate school education classes,
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Sharing May Be Caring, But Redistribution Is Not 0
- Culture
- October 20, 2017
I had to have a frank discussion with one of my sons today. I have two of them, you see. Twins. Mark and Michael. They’re not quite seven years old. On Saturday, I went to the grocery store. I asked each of the boys if they wanted to come with me. Michael accepted the offer.
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Philosopher: ‘Having Children is Immoral’0
- Philosophy
- October 20, 2017
It’s widely believed that the beginning of the Hippocratic Oath—history’s most famous medical document—states “First, do no harm.” It actually doesn’t. Nevertheless, this sentiment is the driving principle behind philosophy professor David Benatar’s argument that “people should never, under any circumstance, procreate.” Benatar—the head of the philosophy department at the University of Cape Town, South
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Propaganda: 4 Tips to Fight It 0
- Culture
- October 20, 2017
Edward Bernays, considered by many to be the father of modern propaganda, opens his famous book Propaganda by stating: We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. Of those men “we have never heard of”, Bernays writes: “Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of
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The Facts About Who Pays the Most in Taxes in America 0
- Economics
- October 19, 2017
Politicians exploit public ignorance. Few areas of public ignorance provide as many opportunities for political demagoguery as taxation. Today some politicians argue that the rich must pay their fair share and label the proposed changes in tax law as tax cuts for the rich. Let’s look at who pays what, with an eye toward attempting
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