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So You Believe There’s Right and Wrong… But Why?0
- Philosophy
- March 5, 2016
Unless you’re a moral relativist, you believe that there are right and wrong actions. But there then remains the question: why do you believe that some actions are right while others are wrong? When it comes to answering it, you most likely adhere to either a “teleological” or “deontological” theory of morals. For the sake
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What Selfies and Jane Eyre Have in Common 0
- History
- March 4, 2016
What do Jane Eyre and selfies have in common? One is a timeless work of literature from well before cameras were in common usage. The other is a much derided, and much practiced, modern form of narcissism. And yet, a recent article in The Atlantic by Karen Swallow Prior connects the selfie to Charlotte Bronte’s
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School Curriculum According to Ben Franklin 0
- Education
- March 4, 2016
Thomas Jefferson once famously noted that education is the only sure way to preserve the liberty of a people. To that end, the American education system is supposed to equip the next generation with the proper intellectual tools. But judging from current levels of academic prowess, as seen in the Nation’s Report Card, the U.S.
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The Case Against Man Caves 0
- Culture
- March 4, 2016
The only feature more requested by prospective buyers on HGTV real estate and renovation programs than an open-concept floor plan is a “man cave”—a room dedicated to the hobbies (usually alcohol and sports) of the man of the house. This is a malignant trend, both a symptom and, in turn, a cause of a juvenile,
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A Colossal Wreck: Our Sad Presidential Politics 0
- Culture
- March 4, 2016
On Presidents’ Day, in the week that the Republican presidential candidates were crisscrossing my home state of South Carolina, I stumbled across an essay in a magazine that tells how you can find the gigantic busts of forty-three American presidents standing broken and decaying in a farmer’s field in Virginia. The essay is full of dramatic
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Erasmus’ Beautiful Advice to a Student in 1497 0
- Education
- March 4, 2016
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was one of the greatest scholars the Western world has ever known. A humanist, he played a large role in the revival of classical studies that took place during the Renaissance. In a 1497 letter, Erasmus offered the following 14 pieces of advice to Christian Northoff, the son of a prosperous merchant
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