Last year, prompted by Louis C.K.’s bit on the Conan O’Brien show, Morgan Housel at the Motley Fool put together a list titled “50 Reasons We’re Living Through the Greatest Period in World History.” Below are his first 10 reasons: 1. U.S. life expectancy at birth was 39 years in 1800, 49 years in 1900, 68 years
READ MOREJacques Ellul’s Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes (1965) has been called “a far more frightening work than any of the nightmare novels of George Orwell.” In it, the French philosopher and sociologist dispels some of the popular notions about propaganda and exposes how it really operates in the modern world. In the first chapter
READ MOREWhen this book was published earlier this year it caused something of a stir. I suspect this was because of the unusual combination it presented: a “famed columnist for The New York Times (as the author is described on the book’s jacket) had written a book about old-fashioned morality. It is even a paradox: is
READ MORE227 years ago, the presidential race consisted of names such as George Washington, John Adams, and John Hancock. In 2015, the frontrunners are Donald Trump and now, “Deez Nuts.” The internet is abuzz with the story of presidential candidate “Deez Nuts,” who it turns out is a 15-year-old boy named Brady Olson who lives on
READ MOREFor most of the history of the West, justice has been defined as, “To give each his due.” Unfortunately, we have lost that understanding along the way. In its simplest form, to act with justice is to judge each person as an individual. Such thinking goes very much against modern thinking. We have been taught
READ MOREBased on a variety of discussions on Intellectual Takeout’s Facebook page about extramarital affairs, the consensus seemed to be that affairs are still considered disgraceful moral behavior (vs. other behaviors that have grown more acceptable over time) because they involve a breach of trust. Many argue that we live in a decadent society, but apparently, that society
READ MOREIf you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for great literature for your children. Or, perhaps you’re looking to catch up on some novels that you may have missed out on when you were growing up. Either way, here are three authors I have come across who deserve a much wider readership than they
READ MOREThe wisdom of the past still rings true today. On display today are a few examples from Cicero’s On Duties, written shortly after Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire. What is truly amazing is that these writings are from over 2,000 years ago. While we’re told things have changed, maybe humanity hasn’t changed
READ MOREUnsocialized religious freaks living in the sticks. That’s how many critics view homeschoolers. But according to TIME magazine, it’s an uninformed caricature of an increasingly popular form of education. “Today, as many as 2 million—or 2.5 percent—of the nation’s 77 million school-age children are educated at home, and increasing numbers of them live in cities.
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