Ask almost any American if the nation’s schools are in bad shape and they’ll likely say yes. But ask those same Americans how their local public schools are doing and you might get a different story. A new Gallup poll asked the latter question and found that some states have quite a positive view of
READ MOREIf teenagers today need to locate something on Google Maps, no problem. If they need to locate something using a traditional map, they’re probably screwed. Skills such as being able to read a map or start a fire were once considered essential for everyday life. Now, however, possession of these skills is increasingly rare. A
READ MOREEditor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán’s State of the Nation Address, delivered on February 29, 2016. It is published in translation here by gracious permission of the Hungarian Embassy in Madrid, Spain. Ladies and Gentlemen, The second and third decades of the twenty-first century will be the
READ MOREMost of us have people in our lives—whether family, friends, or acquaintances—who cannot seem to talk about anything of substance. And it gets old real fast. Don’t mistake me: I’m not saying that every conversation has to result in an extended philosophical dialogue; the occasional chit-chat is fine. But there are those close to us
READ MOREMany of you have probably heard of “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” He had a TV show by that name back in the mid-90s. He can boast of real accomplishments as an inventor, entertainer, and explainer of science to the lay person. He knows a lot. So why does he get philosophy so wrong? For
READ MOREE.D. Hirsch, professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, has become famous for his advocacy of “cultural literacy.” According to Hirsch, “To be culturally literate is to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world.” He emphasized that a “shared, canonical knowledge is inherently necessary to a literate
READ MOREBoth Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders support what is being referred to as a more “isolationist” foreign policy for America—and that’s undoubtedly part of their appeal. Americans have grown weary of the U.S. acting as the police for the world, of constantly intervening in the affairs of other countries. Many have asked, “Why does it
READ MOREIn recent years, the free-range parent movement has swept the nation, encouraging parents to teach their children responsibility by allowing them to do things on their own like walking to the local park. But sometimes parents who give their children responsibility at young ages get into trouble with our over-cautious society. Such is the case
READ MOREMyles Connelly seems to have understood the future when he published Mr. Blue in 1926. In it, he reflects: “No printed word shall wring the new masses as did the printed words in the past. They have not time for the printed word. The day when a pamphlet distributed at a street corner could start
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