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‘Pilpul’ describes what happened to academic writing 0
- Education
- January 19, 2016
At one point in Chaim Potok’s classic The Chosen, David Malter—the father of the main character Reuven—discusses the decline of Jewish scholarship in the eighteenth century. In the discussion, he uses a term that accurately describes much of modern academic writing—“pilpul”: “Jewish scholarship was dead. In its place came empty discussions about matters that had no
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Is it Time to Stop Pushing the “College-for-All” Mantra?0
- Education
- January 19, 2016
In Forbes today, columnist Erik Sherman addresses a common mistake that politicians and the public make about education. All too often, writes Sherman, “we move from ‘education is good’ to ‘education will fix income inequality’ or otherwise charge the economy.” Because the public has believed such taglines, the push to send every student to college
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Chicago Cops’ New Motto? ‘Stay Fetal’0
- Culture
- January 19, 2016
Cop blogs can give you a fascinating insight into what’s going on behind the badge. If you want to get a glimpse of the realities and politics of police work in Chicago, check out Second City Cop, which gets about half a million pageviews each month. Some of it is rather humorous, like this request
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Wisdom from the Supremely Quotable G.K. Chesterton 0
- History
- January 18, 2016
1. “Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously.” 2. “To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.” 3. “Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” 4. “I object
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If You Want a Family, Think Real Hard About What You Study in College 0
- Education
- January 18, 2016
According to the Pew Research Center, mothers today have more schooling than ever before. But, as mom and author Kendra Tierney writes, considering the ultimate value of that schooling is important if you plan to have a family. In 1960, just 18% of mothers with an infant had any college education. Today, that percentage stands
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Homeschoolers Sued For Letting Their Children Play Outside During the Day 0
- Education
- January 18, 2016
Outdoor play is declining and causing a number of negative consequences for America’s children. Recognizing this, many parents and teachers are doing all they can to encourage youngsters to get outside and let loose. Unfortunately for Andrew and Kelly Count in Texas, the efforts to get their children outside are being met with a “neighborly”
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