Feeding Mind, Pursuing Truth
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Welfare Recipients: Better Off Without the Government?0
- October 2, 2015
Should the many welfare programs in the U.S. (such as food stamps, Medicaid, etc.) be replaced with a lump sum of cash handouts? In this week’s Washington Post, columnist Matt Zwolinski argues that they should. Zwolinski notes that such a scenario would create more efficiency in the welfare system, give recipients more human dignity, and
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Should We Be Teaching Philosophy in High School?0
- October 2, 2015
In the U.S., it’s commonly believed that philosophy is too complex for high school students. But in the history of the West, that’s actually a fairly recent notion, and not one universally held. In ancient Greece, the specialized study of philosophy at a school like the famed Platonic Academy would not begin until about
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Northern States Supported the Right to Defend Yourself0
- October 2, 2015
Evil things happen. Bad men want to do bad things to innocent people. Is that not why we have a military to protect us from hostile foreign states and peoples? The tradition in America has been that the individual also has the natural right to defend himself against other individuals and even a hostile domestic
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Kissing the American Dream Goodbye0
- October 2, 2015
According to The Atlantic, the American dream has been downsized. In fact, the American dream is no longer the simple wish of “home, job, and family.” Instead, many Americans simply dream about getting out of debt. “[W]hen a survey asked people which things were the most important to their personal American dream, only 26 percent
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America’s Coming Demographic Storm0
- October 2, 2015
A storm’s coming. A demographic storm. Today news outlets are reporting that a record 94,610,000 Americans are not in the labor force. According to the AP, “The proportion of adults either with a job or looking for one is at a 38-year low,” and “employers cut back sharply on hiring in September and added fewer
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Should U.S. Students Get More Exercise and Playtime Like Those in Finland?0
- October 1, 2015
More and more articles have recently been stressing the need to implement meditation techniques in the classroom. As Quartz reported, “Research shows that it is helping to reduce stress and decrease rates of depression.” But is such a practice simply trying to remedy a situation many schools have brought upon themselves? Could the stress and
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Is critical thinking overrated?0
- October 1, 2015
How often do you see people clamoring for more ‘critical thinking’? Quite often, I suspect. But do we really want more critical thinking or do we simply mean we want more thinking and reflecting? The emphasis in modernity on ‘critical’ is quite noticeable in social media. If one point of fault can be found (or
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Have You Seen the “Bone Church”?0
- October 1, 2015
When I arrived in Rome for my study abroad program in 2000, one of my first visits was to the famous “Bone Church.” Marquis de Sade said of it, “I have never seen anything more striking.” Mark Twain called it “a spectacle for sensitive nerves.” The “Bone Church” is actually the crypt of the church
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Aaaand Another Study Says Preschool Hurts, Not Helps0
- October 1, 2015
All of the good arguments for Pre-K education seem to be dropping like flies. One of principal arguments of Pre-K advocates is that it will ensure future academic success for students. But a recent study from the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University shows that any benefits of Pre-K soon disappear. Peabody studied Tennessee’s state-funded
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