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Why We Live in a World of Propaganda 0
- Culture
- December 29, 2015
Among many of Intellectual Takeout’s audience members, there seems to be a presumption that most discourse today is some form of propaganda. Here are three reasons for this presumption, and why it might be grounded—at least in part—in reality: 1) Our technological society. In Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes, philosopher and
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Neuroscientist: U.S. High Schools Are Too Boring for Students 0
- Education
- December 29, 2015
Temple University neuroscientist Laurence Steinberg’s research has shown him that adolescent brains are primed for learning. The problem is, he claims, that most U.S. high schools are not challenging students enough during their adolescent years. As WQED in Pittsburgh reports, Steinberg has spent his career studying the adolescent brain’s development, and has discovered that it
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This Doctor Nails the Problem with American Parenting 0
- Culture
- December 29, 2015
Not long ago, the American Family Survey identified a lack of parental discipline and training as one of the biggest problems American families face. But according to family practice doctor and author Leonard Sax, that lack of discipline is simply the surface symptom of a greater problem: the decline of parental authority. Speaking about his
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Used Bookstores Experiencing a Revival 0
- Culture
- December 29, 2015
Think Amazon is taking over the world? Think again, says Mike Rosenwald in a recent article for The Washington Post. According to Rosenwald, used book stores are experiencing a revival largely due to cheap prices and a desire for hard, material copies rather than digital books. Such news should not be a surprise, particularly as
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5 Crucially Important Reminders about Technology 0
- Culture
- December 29, 2015
When discussing technology, people too often fall into the habit of either uncritically praising it or unconditionally condemning it. There is a critical need for greater nuance in the dialogue about technology. Author and scholar Neil Postman can perhaps help with this nuance. He spent thirty years studying the history of technological change. Among the
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Teenagers: They can achieve so much more 0
- Culture
- December 29, 2015
Without a doubt, if you’re a regular follower of Intellectual Takeout, you’ve probably noticed our critiques of the modern education system. For some, any critique of the education system means we must be “anti-education”. Here’s a bit of reality: One can be for “education” while also being thoroughly disappointed in the current “education system”. One
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