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On Ben Franklin’s Letter to an Atheist 0
- Economics
- January 23, 2017
Benjamin Franklin’s feelings on God and religion were complicated. While it’s true that Franklin believed in God and saw great benefit in religion, he himself (as I’ve written before) had an aversion to church services (or at least services led by dull pastors). Like many people, Franklin’s own views on faith and religion changed throughout
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The 4 Horsemen of the Philosophical Apocalypse 0
- Education
- January 23, 2017
Robert Maynard Hutchins (1899-1977) was the dean of Yale Law School, the president of the University of Chicago, and one of the more influential philosophers of education in the 20th century. In a stirring passage from a series of lectures he gave in 1951, Hutchins identified four intellectual trends that had been absolutely disastrous for
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Betsy DeVos’ Secret (and Paradoxical) Weapon 0
- Education
- January 23, 2017
Over the past few weeks, the political and media controversy has primarily centered around Donald Trump’s various selections for cabinet positions. Perhaps, of them all, the one pick that has garnered the most profuse and stringent criticism has been Trump’s choice for United States Secretary of Education—Betsy DeVos. Whether one believes the Michigan philanthropist and
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What We’re In For with Trump 0
- Economics
- January 23, 2017
I happened to catch most of Trump’s conference with business leaders this morning over breakfast. Here are my thoughts. If I’m being a typical Midwesterner/Rust Belter on this, apologies in advance; I can’t help where I’m from. Trump’s speech can be divided into four parts of roughly equal size. 25% of the things he said
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Partisanship and the Reason Each Side Thinks the Other Side is Crazy 0
- Politics
- January 23, 2017
To some liberals, Donald Trump’s inauguration portends doom for the republic; to many conservatives, it’s a crowning moment for the nation that will usher in an era of growth and optimism. It’s as if each side is living in a different country – and a different reality. In fact, over the last few months, a
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Should Mothers Be Paid to Stay Home?0
- Culture
- January 23, 2017
An editorial from The New Zealand Herald this month states that a proposal to pay New Zealand stay-at-home mothers has merit, commenting: “many parents who return to paid careers when their child is still very young cite financial necessity. It would be interesting to see what their decisions would be if it were possible to
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