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Category Archives: Philosophy
Healthy Societies Are Efficient
Efficiency isn’t everything, but healthy societies and people need it. If you want the deep explanation of why that’s true, read about Charles Darwin’s observations of birds (finches) on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of South America. Each island … Continue reading
Always To Be Blessed
It’s seldom that a two-line passage from a poem can explain so much that’s wrong with the world. But Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man (1732) has just such a passage: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast, Man never is, … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society
Tagged Alexander Pope, Command economy, Desire, Economics, Essay on Man, Free market, Greedy desire, Serenity, Social Peace, Wisdom
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The Basic Truths Are The Same
My mentor Brand Blanshard, a philosophy professor at Yale, said that “the basic truths of life are the same for every honest mind, whether atheist or devotee.” My grandfather, a Methodist minister, said that “Every person you meet knows something … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy
Tagged Blanshard, Freedom, Meaning of life, Rationality, Serenity, Tolerance, Truth, Wisdom
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Celebrating Pi Day
Today, March 14, is “Pi Day.” The date matches the first three digits of pi, 3.14. On the Nerd Calendar, Pi Day is even more important than Festivus or G.H. Hardy‘s birthday. Pi is the ratio between a circle’s circumference … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy, Science
Tagged Ancient Egypt, Ancient mathematics, Geometry, Irrational numbers, Pi, Pi Day, Pythagoreans, Rhind Papyrus
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Character Is Destiny — For Nations, Too
China is our geopolitical adversary, but the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius had some advice that might help us in these difficult times. He said: “Only after a person has demeaned himself will others demean him. Only after a great family … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Political Science
Tagged America, Anarcho-Tyranny, Anarchy, George Washington, Mencius, Rules of Civility, Self-Respect
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The Declaration’s Missing Word
Many recent social conflicts might have been avoided if the American Declaration of Independence had added one simple word. The Declaration’s second paragraph states the political ideals on which it was based: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that … Continue reading
Utopia’s Biggest Problem
Blogger Marcus Ampe has written a thoughtful essay about utopianism. But he’s realistic about the impossibility of creating a perfect society. He wants, instead, to think about ways we can make society better. That’s a practical goal for which we … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society
Tagged Goals, Happiness, History, Humility, Morality, Philosophy, Social Change, Social harmony, Social Peace, Tolerance, Utopianism
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In Defense of Misguided People
Misguided people are all around us. Of course, which people we call misguided depends on how misguided we are, ourselves. So I want to say a few words in defense of misguided people. They might not know the facts I … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Psychology
Tagged Charity, Division of labor, Forgiveness, Honesty, Human motivation, Humility, Knowledge, Limits of knowledge
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Why Beliefs Divide Us
Why do beliefs divide us? This will sound like a joke, but it’s the truth: Beliefs divide us because it’s part of their job. We usually think of beliefs simply as being about facts: Two plus two equals four. Flowers … Continue reading
The Thousand-Year View 