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Are Criminals Born Bad?0
- Economics
- June 15, 2016
The father of modern criminology, the 19th century Italian sociologist Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), believed that criminality was genetically determined. “Born criminals” could be detected by the presence of a long list of “stigmata” such as an asymmetrical faces, sloping forehead, large ears or even left-handedness (very sinister!). Criminals were atavistic biological throwbacks, reversions to an
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Reuters: 50% now support ban on Muslims entering U.S.0
- Culture
- June 15, 2016
According to Reuters, in the wake of the Orlando Massacre 50% of Americans now agree that the “United States should temporarily stop all Muslims from entering the United States.” Here’s the chart: As you probably noticed, there was a huge swing since the Orlando Massacre. Here are the numbers just prior to the Islamic terrorist
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Psychologists: Boredom is Good for Children 0
- Culture
- June 15, 2016
When I was eight years old, a little girl near my age moved into the house across the street. She, my sister, and I clicked immediately. The girl was, however, an only child with two working parents. As such, she spent her summers in a profusion of camps and activities, leaving little time for play.
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Superficial Tolerance Isn’t Helpful 0
- June 15, 2016
I have to admit, I’ve always been annoyed by the “COEXIST” bumper sticker, a picture of which I’ve included above. It’s not that I wholeheartedly disagree with the message. I do indeed believe that people of different religious faiths should be peaceful toward each other. But at the same time, there’s an underlying sentiment to
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Did Truman Capote Write ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’?3
- Entertainment
- June 15, 2016
Over cocktails a few weeks ago, I was discussing literature with friends. Conversation inevitably swung to which book had the strongest claim as “the Great American Novel.” Huck Finn immediately sprang to my mind, which I quickly changed. It’s a tie, I said. Gone with the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird. A no-brainer. Neither
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13 Virtues in the Ben Franklin Code of Morality 0
- Culture
- June 15, 2016
I recently wrote how Ben Franklin had a strong aversion to church services, despite the fact that he believed in God. This posed a practical problem to him. Franklin took morality seriously and he found himself wondering how he could possibly complete his “bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection” minus the structure
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