Tag Archives: Utopianism

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

Perfection or Nothing?

Posted on January 10, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

The French philosopher Voltaire warned that “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” Pursuit of “perfect” but impossible goals makes us reject possible goals because they’re imperfect. And we often make things even worse than they were in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Communism, Human Nature, Leftism, Leftist, Magical thinking, Perfectionism, Podhoretz, Realism, Utopia, Utopianism, Voltaire | 2 Comments

Why Common Sense Is So Uncommon

Posted on September 25, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Why is common sense so uncommon? I’ve been reading Robert Curry’s excellent new book Reclaiming Common Sense. It got me thinking about why I and many other people often lack common sense. For example, in college I was a libertarian. … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Anarcho-Capitalism, Claremont Institute, Common sense, Libertarianism, Non-aggression principle, Political realism, Robert Curry, Utopianism | 2 Comments

History Bends Toward Chaos

Posted on June 9, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Many people say that “the arc of history bends toward justice.” Pardon my French, but ce n’est pas vrai: It’s not true. It’s the opposite of the truth. If there is going to be justice in our world, we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged American Revolution, Arc of history, Chaos, Disorder, Entropy, French Revolution, Justice, Order, Order versus chaos, Russian Revolution, Utopian, Utopianism | 3 Comments

Trick or Treat

Posted on June 7, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Is it okay to “trick people” for their own good? That question comes up early in John Staddon’s book The New Behaviorism. I’ve just started reading it, and it’s a thought-provoking analysis. Behaviorism is a psychological approach that, true to … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged B.F. Skinner, Behaviorism, Clickbait, Free Will, Freedom, Freedom of choice, John B. Watson, John Staddon, Operant conditioning, Power corrupts, Psychology, Staddon, The Fatal Conceit, Totalitarianism, Utopianism | 2 Comments

Achievable Good Is Better Than Impossible Perfect

Posted on October 20, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

You’ve probably heard the joke about why a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness: Nothing is better than eternal happiness. And a ham sandwich is better than nothing. A ham sandwich isn’t perfect, but it’s better than having no … Continue reading →