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Science versus Scientism 0
- Culture
- July 22, 2016
Science is good but scientism isn’t. Science looks at the cosmos objectively, indeed scientifically. Scientism doesn’t. Science, in the broadest sense of the word, derived from the Latin scientia, simply means “knowledge.” In this sense, all branches of knowledge can be considered as science. Philosophy is a science, history is a science, theology is a
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If the Constitution Was Written Like Campus Speech Codes 0
- Culture
- July 22, 2016
We don’t know for certain if Voltaire actually said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Nonetheless, it’s a sentiment that has been a cornerstone of Western culture since the Enlightenment, and free speech is a right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. But
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Daniel Webster’s Secret to Intellectual Growth 0
- Culture
- July 22, 2016
If you’ve been following Intellectual Takeout for some time, you’ve probably discovered that we’re big fans of reading. Part of our encouragement for reading stems from the fact that nearly one in three Americans didn’t read a book in 2015. That’s a problem, particularly since reading expands our thoughts and equips us to make informed
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Pliny’s ‘Natural History’ Offers Odd Home Remedies 2
- History
- July 21, 2016
Gaius Plinius Secundus (more commonly known simply as Pliny or Pliny the elder) was a Roman naturalist and physician who lived during the dawn of the Roman Empire. Pliny was born in 23 A.D. in Lombardy, a province in Northern Italy, and spent many years in the Roman army as an officer. In his
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Shakespeare: More Beneficial than Self-Help Books?0
- Culture
- July 21, 2016
CBS News recently ran a brief segment featuring Ken Ludwig, a playwright and author of How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare. During the course of the interview, Ludwig explained that his purpose in writing the book was not only to get kids reading Shakespeare, but also to fill in the Shakespearean holes of the parents
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Why You Should Watch this Censored Nazi Propaganda Film 0
- History
- July 21, 2016
A marvelous feature of the digital age is that we have opportunities to see films that were nearly impossible to view even decades ago. In some cases, the films were banned. This was the case with the 1935 Nazi propaganda film “Triumph of the Will.” Despite its palpable evil, it was one of the great
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