Margaret Thatcher and the British Coal Miners’ Strike
Margaret Thatcher has died. She was one of the most influential figures of the past century, and one of the most powerful women in history.
Read more
Mental Models and Critical Thinking Are Under Direct Attack In the Texas Education System
Mental models, which we use a lot on this site and a term which is borrowed from thinker Charles Munger, are a concept taken from a school of thought called critical thinking. They are ideas that allow us to take claims, ideas, and concepts, examining them to determine if they are accurate or understand what…
The Warren Farrell Protest at the University of Toronto: An Example of How Not to Behave If You Want To Be Successful In Life
On this site, we strive to practice the philosophy of John Stuart Mill, who would eagerly read every side of an argument because he wanted to se that “no scattered particles of important truth are buried and lost in the ruins of exploded error”. That means we each have a fundamental, moral duty to openly…
The United States Needs a Strong Opposition Party
As I go through the results of the 2012 election cycle from a wide range of sources across the political spectrum, including The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and The Center for American Progress, I am getting … concerned. We need an opposition party in the United States. It creates debate so only the best ideas win, it keeps politicians more honest than they would otherwise be, and it keeps the boat in a narrow center lane so we don’t veer off into extreme in either direction. The Republican party has been taken over by radicals, resulting in a catastrophic demographic and values problem that is now causing it to fail at that vital mission.
Remember To Use Cartograms for Business, Political, and Socioeconomic Data Analysis
With less than 10 hours to go before the polls open for the 2012 Presidential election, I thought it would be a good time to remind you about the importance of using cartograms to study business, political, and socioeconomic data. Cartograms should be a constant tool in your intellectual toolbox that you utilize to overcome…
Household Income, Net Worth, and Unemployment Rates By Education Level
The most recent statistics on household income, net worth, and unemployment, sorted by education level, are really interesting. Following our discussion about the splits that have emerged along geographic fault lines in the electoral body, I thought it would be important to highlight the economic differences and how enormous the income inequality is for the…
I Hate the Perennial Arguments About Voter I.D. Laws
Voting is a big deal. In countries that have lived under brutal dictatorships, people will die for the opportunity to vote, defying militants to take to the street and cast their ballot. I love the act of voting. I’m one of those “have you voted?” people, constantly harping on people on election day to stop…
The Curious Case of Neo-Paganism Witchcraft In the Christian Church
Ruby and I were having a conversation about religion in the United States today and I find it incredibly interesting that there is a small, cultish group of “Christians” (for lack of a better term) that are really nothing more than the modern day resurrection of the ancient Babylonian pagan cults. They are so ignorant…
What Is Morality? Are Morals Relative to Circumstances?
I often hear people throw around words like “moral” and “immoral”. What does this mean? Does morality change or is morality something that is always true and unshifting through the sands of time? Words mean something so I have to identify what it is to be “moral”. That means we need to frame the parameters.…
Mail Bag – The Electoral College and the President of the United States
Today’s mail bag letter comes from Sjberkely who writes: I was reading one of your blog entries and found it to be misleading. I hope you are able to correct the problem. Below are some facts that should help explain the system a bit more clearly. You should know that people are in a state…