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Blog 3 Columns

  • Are Americans More Ignorant than We Realize?

    Are Americans More Ignorant than We Realize?1

    The other day I picked up Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the pamphlet that played a huge role in promoting the American War for Independence. Knowing that Paine is generally regarded as a strong atheist, I was startled to see how many biblical references he used in his argument. It wasn’t long before I realized Paine

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  • Why Is Violent Language Becoming So Normal?

    Why Is Violent Language Becoming So Normal?0

    The death a few days ago of Muhammad Ali, an icon of boxing as well as racial equality, reminds me and others of something that you too may have noticed: how violent language is increasingly being used to describe disagreement. One public figure criticizing another is “attacking” or “bashing” the other. When somebody’s reasoning is

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  • Today’s One-Room Schools: Why Families Love Them

    Today’s One-Room Schools: Why Families Love Them0

    When I was in grade school, one of the annual highlights of my summer was the day my friends and I went on a field trip to an old one-room schoolhouse. To all of us, the day was an opportunity to “be like Laura [Ingalls]” by dressing up, having spelling bees, and reading lessons out

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  • The U.S. Government Poisoned Alcohol During Prohibition

    The U.S. Government Poisoned Alcohol During Prohibition0

    Between 1920 and 1933 America engaged in a “Noble Experiment”—prohibiting “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes” via the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment was repealed in 1933. As

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  • Refugees vs. Immigrants: Let’s Not Conflate the Two

    Refugees vs. Immigrants: Let’s Not Conflate the Two0

    A couple of months ago, when I first began writing for Intellectual Takeout, I wrote a piece about the difference between arguing and quarreling. I referred to G. K. Chesterton’s quip, concerning his relationship with his brother, that they were always arguing but they never quarreled. Chesterton’s point is that arguing is good, whereas quarreling

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  • Ralph Nader: ‘Young men now are far too sensitive’

    Ralph Nader: ‘Young men now are far too sensitive’0

    Consumer advocate Ralph Nader was interviewed by Lydia DePillis of Pacific Standard magazine on Monday, and the left-wing populist had some interesting things to say. You can read the entire interview here, which is pretty colorful and interesting. (Nader is nothing if not blunt and entertaining in his assessments.)  Below are some of the highlights. 

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  • One Reason Conservatives Are Losing?

    One Reason Conservatives Are Losing?0

    In November 2012, I attended a conservative State Policy Network (SPN) conference the week after President Obama had won reelection. As you might imagine, the mood among the conservative think-tank attendees was rather somber. In spite of all their efforts over the past four years, the more liberal presidential candidate had defeated the more conservative

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  • Did Darwin Plagiarize the Idea of ‘Natural Selection’?

    Did Darwin Plagiarize the Idea of ‘Natural Selection’?0

    One important skill of critical thinking is distinguishing facts from “factoids.” An example of the latter is the oft-repeated statistic that “50 percent of American marriages end in divorce.” That’s been repeated so often that most people believe it, but it’s actually been debunked. We’re all familiar with debunking. But what happens when, ironically enough,

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  • CS Lewis’ Important Critique of ‘Democratic Education’

    CS Lewis’ Important Critique of ‘Democratic Education’0

    America’s education system is increasingly “democratic.” It expends tremendous amounts of money and energy on ushering all students toward college and on closing “gaps” between high- and low-performing students. But according to C.S. Lewis, these concerns indicate a wrong understanding of democracy as it applies to education—one that indeed threatens a nation’s survival. In 1944 he wrote the

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