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The Sad Disappearance of the Lecture0
- Education
- October 22, 2015
The lecture format is being abandoned by many college professors. This phenomenon is due to a number of factors: the pressure of teachers to entertain students, the imposition of the scientific method onto the humanities, and an increased preference for “active learning” methods. But in a New York Times article this past Sunday, Dr.
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Can Bad People Truly Be Happy?0
- October 22, 2015
It can be frustrating when those who are unkind to us, who wrong us, or who commit injustices toward others are successful by worldly standards. Perhaps they have plenty of friends, good jobs, power, or a lot of money. But according to Plato in his dialogue Gorgias, those who do bad things cannot truly
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Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Handgun Bans0
- Culture
- October 22, 2015
Have American attitudes towards guns changed as a result of shootings such as the one at Umpqua Community College? When it comes to buying guns the answer might be yes. According to Gallup, “Fifty-five percent of Americans say they want laws covering the sale of firearms to be stricter than they are now, a distinct
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A 4-Day School Week? Research Shows Possible Benefits.0
- Education
- October 22, 2015
Could the traditional 5-day school week actually be a drain on students and teachers? That’s a subject explored in a recent study published by MIT Press Journals. A number of schools in Colorado have made the switch from a 5 to a 4-day school week in recent years, largely in an effort to manage budget
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You won’t believe how little Boomers saved0
- Culture
- October 21, 2015
The season of dying seems to be upon my friends and me. Last year, it was my step-father; last week, it was a good friend’s dad. In past years there have been others I know who have passed on and, of course, plenty of scares along the way. One thing that troubles me is how
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Why It’s Almost Impossible to Rationally Argue with People Today0
- October 21, 2015
As a lot of us know, the most important issues today are the most difficult to have a rational argument about. It can be very frustrating. Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre also recognizes this problem in chapter 2 of his justly famous work, After Virtue: “The most striking feature of contemporary moral utterance is that so much
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Sex is Dangerous0
- Culture
- October 21, 2015
The New York Times has brought to our attention that when enjoying sexual activities, a San Francisco school recommends confirming consent every ten minutes for its 10th graders. Here’s some of the pertinent stuff: “Consent from the person you are kissing — or more — is not merely silence or a lack of protest, Shafia
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New Study: Marriage is Better for the Economy0
- Culture
- October 21, 2015
It’s no secret that married parents are better for children. But did you know that married parents are also better for a state’s economy? That’s the finding from a new study released by the American Enterprise Institute. States which have 75% or more of their children living in married households – such as Utah, Idaho,
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Nazi Germany Was Highly Educated0
- Education
- October 21, 2015
There’s a persistent temptation for modern societies to identify education with formal schooling. America seems to have fallen into that temptation. Education today is almost wholly associated with school, and improvements to education are focused on raising proficiency scores, helping students meet “standards,” and designing a more efficient system. It is often claimed that
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