CULTURE

Why Most Civilizations Fail, Part 3: The Choice Between Stasis and Infinity

What separates societies that generate knowledge from those that suppress it, and what does this mean for our future?

It Takes One to Know One–Or Does It?

It Takes One to Know One–Or Does It?

Q: What do you think of the old saying, "It takes one to know one"? A: It's a package deal. By package deal I mean the lumping of a true concept with a false one. The evil of a package deal is that the truthful part of the statement motivates one to accept the full...

Art Finally Comes to George Mason University

Controversial art historian Lee Sandstead will speak this Monday evening at the Johnson Center on something this campus hasn't seen or heard about in decades--art.What? How can I say this? Isn't there art everywhere at Mason?Well, yes, there is a lot of "art" on...

Choosing a College

Choosing a College

When a student at New York University committed suicide recently, it was the 6th suicide at that same institution this year. The suicide of someone in the prime of life, and getting an education that promises a bright future, should be much rarer than it is. But NYU...

Self-Interest Trumps Niceness

Self-Interest Trumps Niceness

Q: What's more important, being nice or being self-interested? A: It's good to be nice. Being nice is more often in one's self-interest than not. For example: Are you more willing to spend your money at a business who treats its customers nicely or who treats its...

Tax Credits–and Not Vouchers–for Education

Tax Credits–and Not Vouchers–for Education

The New York Sun has wisely opposed campaign finance regulations as violating the freedom of speech. The Sun has also argued that New York City's public campaign financing system deserves to be scrapped. Wasn't it Thomas Jefferson who wrote "that to compel a man to...

Olympic Gold All Around Gymnast Paul Hamm: Only Human

Olympic Gold All Around Gymnast Paul Hamm: Only Human

After three out of six rotations in the Men's All-around Olympic Gymnastics, American gymnast Paul Hamm was ranked first place in the standings. His next event was the vault. Hamm's vault was to be a Tsukahara--named after Japanese gymnast Mitsuo Tsukahara. It was...

House of God, House of War

Picture this scenario: a group of heavily armed Roman Catholics, led by a priest, swarms into St. Joseph's Cathedral in New York. They claim it as a military base. They fire grenades from its windows. They set explosive charges, in order to blow it up and blame the...

“What Should I Do?”

“What Should I Do?”

When stuck with the question, "What should I do?" don't stay stuck. Don't fall prey to the temptation to blindly asking someone else what you should do. Instead, ask yourself -- and answer -- the following questions: What are my options in this situation? (If there is...

The Error of the Self-Esteem Movement

The Error of the Self-Esteem Movement

In recent decades, the field of psychology made a mistake. That mistake was treating self-esteem as the root of mental health. The root of mental health is actually personal responsibility. Personal responsibility refers to a core conviction that you are in the...

The Purpose of Speech Codes in Schools and Colleges

The Purpose of Speech Codes in Schools and Colleges

With all the noise being made -- from traffic noise to Al Gore's ranting -- you might never suspect that there was a National Day of Silence. What you might also not suspect is that this day is observed in schools and colleges across the country, where students agree...

How to Choose a Career

How to Choose a Career

The basic rule to follow in a process of identification is to choose the career in which you will spend the most time doing the activity you love to do the most.

Frequently Asked Questions about Education in America

1. How many students are enrolled in public and private schools in the United States? According to U.S. Department of Education estimates, there are 47.6 million students in public schools and 5.9 million in private schools.[1] As many as 2 million children are...

Bing Crosby: Singer of the Century

Bing Crosby: Singer of the Century

May 2, 2004 will mark the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bing Crosby, whose recorded voice continues to sing "White Christmas" every Yuletide. Other singers who came after him, including Sinatra and Elvis, had their day but it was Bing Crosby who first put...

Forgiveness and Mental Health

Forgiveness and Mental Health

A reader writes in, taking issue with Dr. Hurd's contention that forgiving the unforgivable (e.g. snipers, drunk driving) is neither noble nor healthy: Forgiving someone who committed a crime against you after they have served their sentence and you have had time to...

Before You Donate to Support a College…

In far too many instances, what passes as college life and education today is no less than shameful. Under the name of diversity and political correctness, billions of taxpayer dollars and donor contributions are used to promote what might be charitably called...

The Easter Masquerade

The Easter Masquerade

Religion’s alleged harmony with science is a fraudulent masquerade, extending only insofar as religious dogmas are not called into question

“Super Size Me”: Morgan Spurlock’s Latest Con

Two weeks ago, I flew to a film festival in Austin, Texas, to watch what could be one of America's hottest movies this spring: an engaging documentary called "Super Size Me," which shows what happens when you stuff yourself for a month and don't exercise. The creator...

The Pledge of Allegiance Revisited: America’s Allegiance Belongs to Individual Rights Not Religion

The Pledge of Allegiance Revisited: America’s Allegiance Belongs to Individual Rights Not Religion

The Pledge of Allegiance’s assertion that America exists Under God is wrong and allowing government schools to promote such notions constitutes the unequivocal establishment of religion. The Founding Fathers fought for the right to not believe in God, the right to not participate in religion, the right to reject faith. In this sense, the phrase ‘under God’ is un-American and it ought to be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Pin It on Pinterest