Feeding Mind, Pursuing Truth
Blog 3 Columns
- Home
- Blog 3 Columns
‘Idiocracy’ Writer: The Fictional Movie Has Become a ‘Documentary’0
- Politics
- February 25, 2016
Many times on Intellectual Takeout, we see our readers label our current age an “Idiocracy,” referring to the 2006 dystopian movie in which all future American citizens, including the president, are idiots. Well, it now appears that the co-writer of “Idiocracy” agrees with them. In a now-viral post on Twitter yesterday, Etan Cohen tweeted that
READ MORE
Wow… Only 28% of Parents Require Their Children to do Chores1
- Culture
- February 24, 2016
The other day the Washington Post ran an article entitled “The baffling reason many millennials don’t eat cereal.” Not being a fan of cereal myself, I clicked on it to see if other millennials shared my disinterest in the common breakfast food. Au contraire. Millennials like cereal… it’s just the washing of a bowl and
READ MORE
The “Newspeak” of Facebook Reactions0
- Culture
- February 24, 2016
By now you’ve probably heard, seen, or used Facebook’s “reactions” icons released early this morning. As the Atlantic describes it: “Someone can now respond to any post on Facebook with a heart for ‘love,’ a laughing face for ‘haha,’ an astonished gape for ‘wow,’ a tearful frown for ‘sad,’ a reddening face for ‘angry,’ or
READ MORE
One Reason a Border Wall makes some People Uncomfortable0
- Culture
- February 24, 2016
Walls have been used successfully for thousands upon thousands of years. They’ve served many purposes, often multiple purposes at the same time. Some were meant to keep people out, others were meant to keep people in. The Great Wall of China is a great example of a successful wall that held the Mongols and other
READ MORE
4 Ways Parents Can Encourage Their Children to Read Good Books0
- Culture
- February 24, 2016
As a grade-school child, there was nothing I loved more than burying my nose in a book. Mysteries particularly. I pounded my way through various series, happily ignoring the fact that they all revolved around the same, mind-numbing plot and rarely broadened my knowledge or intellectual ability. Fortunately, my mother recognized this problem better than
READ MORE
10 Penetrating Quotes on Contemplation from an American Monk0
- Culture
- February 24, 2016
Of Thomas Merton (1915-1968), the Dalai Lama once said, “Merton introduced me to the real meaning of the word ‘Christian.’” Of himself, Merton describes his early journey to becoming a Trappist monk below: “[I] spurned New York, spat on Chicago, and tromped on Louisville, heading for the woods with Thoreau in one pocket, John of
READ MORE
Why It’s Bad for a Society to Do Away with Shame0
- Culture
- February 23, 2016
In recent years, popular culture has encouraged us to be or do anything we want to in the name of freedom. In fact, it has become acceptable and courageous to defy traditionally-held views of ethics, family, marriage, religion, and political action. But has this rush to stretch our wings, embrace freedom, and ditch shame actually
READ MORE
Why It’s Harmful to Reward Children for Everything0
- Family
- February 23, 2016
Rewarding children for good behavior has become commonplace in the American family. But in a recent piece for The Atlantic, Psychologist Erica Reischer cautions that reward systems can be surprisingly harmful to children and their families. Using the example of the ubiquitous sticker chart, Reischer writes that the system of children earning their way to
READ MORE
Hello, Norma Jean. Goodbye great books0
- Education
- February 23, 2016
Students enrolling at a prominent Australian university this week will be able to choose an elective that is likely to leave all the competition for dead. A course designed to tie in with an art exhibition at neighbouring galleries offers La Trobe undergraduates credits for studying the famous blond bombshell of the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe.
READ MORE