Tag Archives: History

Hope and History

Posted on December 12, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

A review of Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, by Wilfred M. McClay Originally published on May 25, 2019 here. What is the purpose of history? Is it merely a record of facts—of dates and kings, … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Science, Society | Tagged American ideals, Constitution, History, History textbook, McClay, United States, US Constitution | 2 Comments

A Moment from the Middle Ages

Posted on October 19, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Let’s consider a moment from the Middle Ages. Of course, people in the Middle Ages didn’t think they were living in “the Middle Ages.” That term was invented during the Renaissance to denote the era between Late Antiquity (after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology | Tagged Courage, COVID-19, Fear, Freedom, History, Propaganda, Psychology, Rationality, SARS-CoV-2 | 2 Comments

Utopia’s Biggest Problem

Posted on July 21, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

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 | 1 Comment

Bulletproof Happiness: What You Control

Posted on August 16, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

You can achieve bulletproof happiness. But you need to know something first: Bulletproof vests make you look fat. In other words, there are trade offs. And you need to know something else: Bulletproof vests don’t make you invulnerable. In other … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Happiness, History, Serenity, Social Conflict, Social unrest, Stoicism, The Fourth Turning | Leave a comment

Don’t Mistake Hate for Logic

Posted on April 23, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

We’ve probably all made the error of mistaking hate for logic. Of course, we didn’t realize it at the time. But that’s what we were doing. Yesterday’s blog post got me thinking about the problem. On my “Top 10” list … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Affirming the consequent, Belisarius, Bias, Byzantine Empire, Empress Theodora, Hate, Hatred, History, Justinian, Logic, Logical fallacies, Loyalty, Modus Ponens, Ostrogorsky, Rationality, Reason, Social Conflict, Syllogism | Leave a comment

Do Great Individuals Shape History?

Posted on April 22, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Is human history driven mainly by the actions of “great men”? It’s called the great man theory of history. Of course, the problem is that word “mainly.” Lots of things cause historical events. To say that a specific person was … Continue reading →

Posted in Judaism, Life, Philosophy, Psychology, Society | Tagged Adam and Eve, Aristotle, Buddha, Calculus, Confucius, Einstein, Empress Theodora, Gilgamesh, Great Man Theory, Greatness, Hammurabi, Historiography, History, Isaac Newton, Jesus, Leibniz, Moses, Theories of History, Winston Churchill | Leave a comment

Don’t Pass Over History

Posted on April 19, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Who are you? What are you? The answers define your identity and give you a sense of place in the universe. The “who” question has a simple answer: your name. But the “what” question has many answers. You are a … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Judaism, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Community, Easter, Exodus, Group identity, Historiography, History, Legitimacy, Morality, Moses, Passover, Personal Identity, Social order | Leave a comment

Two Views of Life — and Government

Posted on April 18, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

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 →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Democracy, Determination, Encouragement, History, Nature vs. nurture, Noble lie, Parenting, Persistence, Positive thinking, Social contract | Leave a comment

Whose Welfare Counts, and How Much?

Posted on January 27, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

This blog post isn’t about what you’ll at first think it’s about. So bear with me. The United Kingdom’s National Trust was established in 1895 to showcase and protect Britain’s national heritage. Among other things, it gives tours of historic … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Britain, Entertainment Media, Gays, History, Minoritarianism, Minority rights, National Trust, News Media, Special interest groups, Utilitarianism | 2 Comments

Reclaiming Israel’s Reputation

Posted on June 17, 2017 by N.S. Palmer

I’ve started reading David Brog’s excellent new book Reclaiming Israel’s History: Roots, Rights, and the Struggle for Peace. I’ll post a full review later, but the initial paragraphs of the book describe a situation that seems eerily familiar: “There was a … Continue reading →