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A Historian’s Disturbing Take on Why a Civilization Breaks Down 0
- History
- March 7, 2016
In his famous work A Study of History, Arnold Toynbee examines why some civilizations break down. Interestingly, he concludes that the reason for civilizations breaking down is contained within the very reason for their growth: “[T]he very process by which growth is sustained is inherently risky: the creative leadership of a society has to resort
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Is ‘Speed Reading’ For Real?0
- Culture
- March 7, 2016
When I was a boy, “speed reading” was all the rage among the adults I knew—the ones who read books, that is. I envied them. Learning to read had been hard enough, but I couldn’t seem to read fast enough to allow time for other things I also wanted to do. If, as I now
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Should Christians Be Pitied?0
- March 7, 2016
In about three weeks many around the world will celebrate Easter—the day on which Christians commemorate Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is regarded as the central dogma of Christianity, as it represents for Christians God’s victory over death, and the means by which they, too, will one day rise from the
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Not Every Slippery-Slope Argument is a Fallacy 0
- March 7, 2016
In critical-thinking, logic, and philosophy classes, students are often taught to detect and avoid something called “the slippery-slope fallacy.” Such warnings are sometimes justified. But at other times they are actually misleading—so much so that rejecting certain arguments as slippery-slope fallacies is itself fallacious. Understanding why is important morally, politically, and psychologically. A search on
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Former Clinton Administration Member: ‘Cruz is Even More Dangerous Than Trump’0
- March 7, 2016
Over the past few months, many have been sounding apocalyptic alarms with the rise of Donald Trump. But in a recent post on his website, Robert Reich—a Democrat—argued that Ted Cruz is actually “more dangerous” than Donald Trump. For those who don’t know, Reich has served in the administrations of three presidents. His latest stint
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Is the Stand-By-Your-Man Attitude Increasingly a Thing of the Past?0
- Culture
- March 7, 2016
With the news of Nancy Reagan’s death, the media has been peppered with tributes to the wife of America’s 40th President. Despite what the writers of these tributes may think of Mrs. Reagan’s politics or even personal quirks (and yes, she had some), they all seem to agree that she had a major redeeming quality.
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