Philosophy

America, Aristotle, and the Politics of a Middle Class: A Review 0
- Philosophy
- August 20, 2018
Is the American project doomed because the Enlightenment liberal philosophy on which it is based contains such contradictions that today’s social and political failures were inevitable? Or are we inflicting disintegration on ourselves through bad thinking and bad choices in more recent times, committing a kind of cultural suicide? These are among the happy choices
READ MORE
Why Gratitude Is So Good for You (and for Those Around You)0
- Philosophy
- August 1, 2018
Gratitude may be more beneficial than we commonly suppose. One recent study asked subjects to write a note of thanks to someone and then estimate how surprised and happy the recipient would feel – an impact that they consistently underestimated. Another study assessed the health benefits or writing thank you notes. The researchers found that
READ MORE
Is Loneliness Fueling the Rise of Political Polarization in the U.S.?0
- Philosophy
- June 19, 2018
While browsing through a recently discovered bookstore, I stumbled across a book titled, Republican Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right by Ken Stern. Finding the title intriguing, I opened the book and began reading about his experience breaking out of the political “bubble” and experiencing life on
READ MORE

Cognitive Dissonance: The Psychological Phenomenon that Explains Why Intellectuals Can’t Stop Believing Socialism Works 0
- Philosophy
- June 6, 2018
The graveyard of failed socialist states is vast. In recent decades, examples are replete: from the collapse of the Soviet Union, to the horrors in North Korea, to the recent nightmare in Venezuela, the evidence looms large and tragic. Yet among its faithful, there is a persistent belief that “real” socialism does work. (G. A.
READ MORE
How Complaining Makes Us More Miserable, Ineffectual, and Insecure 0
- Philosophy
- May 30, 2018
The Harvard Business Review reports “a majority of employees spend 10 or more hours per month complaining — or listening to others complain — about their bosses or upper management. Even more amazing, almost a third spend 20 hours or more per month doing so.” Only voiced complaints were measured and reported in the study.
READ MORE
Truth: Often Unwelcome, Never ‘Dead’0
- Philosophy
- May 8, 2018
In March 2017, frustrated by the new president’s casual approach to truth, Time Magazine published an issue cover with the title “Is Truth Dead?” Its graphics were identical to those of an iconic 1966 cover with the title “Is God Dead?” Such hype isn’t unique. Just last January, The Atlantic published a thoughtful article whose subtitle expressed a closely related
READ MORE