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Tag Archives: Democracy
A Pop Quiz About Government
We’ve got a pop quiz today, kids. But don’t worry: There’s only one question, and it’s multiple-guess. The authors of the U.S. Constitution were greatly influenced by a book called The Spirit of the Laws. It said there were three … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Psychology
Tagged Courage, COVID-19, Democracy, Fear, Freedom, Justice, Politics, Propaganda, Psychology, Rule of law, SARS-CoV-2, Social harmony, Virtue
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How Easily We Are Stampeded
Today, we lurch drunkenly from one moral panic to another. Last month, it was Covid Cooties. This month, it’s Killer Kops. Next month, it might be something else, just as alliterative and just as loosely connected to reality: whatever will … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Democracy, Elites, Meritocracy, Moral panic, Propaganda, Public opinion
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Who Gets Veto Power?
A while back, I worked for a tech company where I reported to the company’s CEO. The main thing I learned was never to take a job at a company founded and run by a business-school professor. The other thing … Continue reading
Two Views of Life — and Government
Your parents lied to you. So did mine. They told us: “You can do anything if you make up your mind to do it.” Nope. Not true. Don’t be too hard on parents. It’s a well-meaning lie. It’s arguably even … Continue reading
Democracy for Dinner
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.” — Winston Churchill It’s dinner time. You and your spouse decide to vote on dinner. Happily, you both love pizza with anchovies. The vote … Continue reading
What If We Can’t Agree?
What if we just can’t agree about some issues? Suppose that we’ve had calm, rational conversations with people on the other side of the dispute. It does happen occasionally. And suppose that each side understands the other. People on each … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Political Science, Society
Tagged Compromise, Democracy, Dispute Resolution, Federalism, Social realism
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Chaos and Creation, from Genesis to Today
My new blog post for The Jewish Journal: You might not expect it, but the very first words of the Torah explain how social change works. The most familiar English rendering is “In the beginning, God created the heavens and … Continue reading
The Thousand-Year View 