Worth Reading - 2004 Archive

12/31 Let's end the year on a happy note. Law professor Glenn Reynolds argues that 2004 was a good year for free speech. And columnist Radley Balko nicely summarizes the overall good news indicators from 2004. (Via Instapundit.com.)

12/30 The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 may have killed 70,000 people, and Voltaire and Rousseau debated its implications for the theodicy problem. Rob Vischer raises the issue again in poignant form, since the tsunamis killed Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and atheists alike. Meanwhile, Johann Hari asks: Why is atheism failing as a mass movement? Updates: Here’s a startling confession from James Wolcott, who must be in ecstacy over the tsunamis. And at SOLO, Lindsay Perigo proposes that “God works in mysterious ways” is a euphemism for “God works in irresponsible ways”.

12/29 Francis Morrone's pleasant discussion of the interplay between art and architecture in several of America’s major museums.

12/28 After the Florida hurricanes: How best deal with disasters? Frank Bubb explains the benefits of price gouging. In the wake of the Asian tsunami, The Wall Street Journal explains why rich countries are better protected against natural disasters, and Glenn Reynolds focuses on the role of blogs in spreading news quickly and mobilizing relief efforts. And here is a link to send disaster-relief donations to the American Red Cross via Amazon.com.

12/27 Now that the primary global warming model has been debunked, what will be the scaremongers’ next Omigod-we’re-all-going-to-die!!! scenario? Reason’s science correspondent Ronald Bailey reviews Michael Crichton’s new novel, State of Fear, and brings us up to speed on the current state of knowledge about global temperatures and species extinctions. Finally, Robert Bidinotto plays a role in exposing more shameless indoctrination of children by doomster environmentalists.

12/25 Steven Landsburg hails Ebenezer Scrooge as a great benefactor of mankind. And what if Johnnie Cochran, Ayn Rand, or Stephen King had written A Christmas Carol? (Thanks to Robert for the link.)

12/24 Is the Axis of Atheists taking over Christmas? Reason’s Julian Sanchez on the controversy over “Happy holidays” and “Seasons’s greetings”.

12/23 Cause and effect: the cost of frivolous lawsuits.

12/22 Libertarian philosopher Tibor Machan has published his memoirs. And here is Professor Machan’s very full bio site at the Hoover Institution.

12/21 Roger Donway’s always-fascinating summary-survey of economic, civil, and political liberties: What are the most free and unfree countries in the world?

12/20 Free markets in organs: Alex Tabarrok estimates the cost and proposes a solution to the donor organ shortage. Here also is Lifesharers, a non-profit voluntary network of organ donors.

12/18 Excellent: A Cato Institute study helps sink a proposal to use tax money to subsidize baseball in Washington, D.C. (Via TomPalmer.com.)

12/17 InsideDefense.com’s special report: The books and manuals that generals, intelligence and defense experts are recommending as essential reading for understanding and dealing with the insurgency in Iraq. (Thanks to Keith for the link.)

12/16 Rowan Hooper’s journalistic discussion of neuroscience, free will, and the purposes of law and punishment. And here are philosopher of science Daniel Dennett’s compatibilist Freedom Evolves, computer scientist Eyal Mozes’s critical review of Dennett’s book, and philosopher David Kelley’s Foundations of Knowledge set, which includes his lecture on The Nature of Free Will.

12/15 William Mattox’s touching article on China’s ‘daughter dearth’. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)

12/14 Today let’s think about safety and technology. Friedrich of the 2 Blowhards takes up anew the benefits and challenges of nuclear power generation. And Wired magazine’s Tom McNichol looks into making road traffic safer by eliminating signs, lights, and painted lines. (Via Marginal Revolution.)

12/13 For those interested in the philosophy of history: I have begun reading Randall Collins’s massive and magisterial The Sociology of Philosophies, and I am hooked. My briefer introduction to the philosophy of history is here.

12/11 Martin Morse Wooster of the Capital Research Center on effective philanthropy for liberty.

12/10 Columnist Stuart Buck connects boredom, phonics, and other fundamentals of education. Speaking of fundamentals, this semester my Philosophy of Education students and I read Edward Lazear’s anthology Education for the Twenty-first Century, containing useful essays by Gary Becker, Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, and others. And economist Walter Williams asks whether college students are getting their money’s worth.

12/9 The legacy of Hayek. Samuel Gregg and Wolfgang Kaspar provide an introductory overview. (Note: PDF format.)

12/8 Via Steven Den Beste, two important essays on international culture and policy: John Fonte on the “transnational progressives” and their ideological war with the West. And Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters’s classic essay on Seven Signs of Non-Competitive States.

12/7 The usually-quiet, liberty-loving majority takes it to the streets. (Thanks to Marsha for the link.)

12/6 Richard Epstein, Randy Barnett, David Friedman, and James Pinkerton: Four distinguished thinkers on liberty and coercion.

12/4 The most influential art pieces of the 20th century. (Thanks to Craig S. for the link.) Then to get that out of your system, visit these three contemporary masters: Martine Vaugel, Michael Newberry, and Stuart Mark Feldman.

12/3 For history geeks like me, a fun and informative research site: Timelines of History.

12/2 FIRE’s guide to due process and fair procedure on campus. And while we’re on campus, Joanne Jacobs asks: Why do middle-class black students perform less well than middle-class white students? Update: The Wall Street Journal has more data on harassment of students with minority views. (Via PrestoPundit.com and GalleySlaves.Blogspot.com.)

12/1 David Boaz of the Cato Institute on how to solve the gay marriage debates: Privatize marriage. (Via David Mayer.)

11/30 Brilliance! Eccentricity! Fudging the data! The saga of the discovery of Neptune. (Via Arts and Letters Daily.)

11/29 Economist Dwight Lee explains why we don’t say Take this job and shove it more often. (Via SCSUScholars.com.)

11/27 At the Institute for the Secularisation of Islam, Anwar Shaikh’s Autobiography of an Apostate. (Thanks to Karen for the link.)

11/25 The morality of Thanksgiving: Editor Roger Donway on whom we should thank. And history professor David Mayer on why we celebrate Thanksgiving.

11/24 Philosopher Tibor Machan on how and why libertarians are community-friendly.

11/23 Sculptor Sandra Shaw’s list and commentary on books on art and art history.

11/22 How to improve educational performance? Alex Tabarrok suggests that we pay students to learn. And where can we find more inspiring teachers like Sanderson of Oundle? Contrast these academic antics.

11/20 Worthy of The Onion. My alternative proposal: Extend I-69 to French Lick. (Thanks to Anja and Jules.)

11/19 Finally: Malcolm Gladwell gives us straight talk about the cost of prescription drugs. And Tyler Cowen’s thoughts on health insurance and costs.

11/18 In a dramatic break with the “Steve” theme, we shift to Vikramaditya Khanna on corporate fraud and legislation. (Via The Volokh Conspiracy.)

11/17 Our theme this week seems to be All Things Steve. (Via Dynamist.com.)

11/16 Stephen Budiansky on why we are saps when it comes to dogs.

11/15 Stephen Schwartz on John Calvin, Michael Servetus, and whether Islam needs a Reformation.

11/13 Smart thinking from Christopher Hitchens: The left apologizes for religious fanatics. The president fights them.

11/12 At the Chronicle, Literature professor Mark Bauerlein on why everybody loses from the lack of intellectual diversity on campuses. Update: Ann Althouse on The Democratic-Republican imbalance.

11/11 Daniel Ben-Ami takes on the anti-production environmentalists and argues that economic productivity and environmental health are win-win.

11/10 Fascinating: Brain scientist Norman M. Weinberger summarizes what we know about how music affects and alters the brain. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)

11/9 Columnist Virginia Postrel reports on pharmaceutical companies' outsourcing drug testing to India. This will (a) lower the price of drugs and (b) get them to market sooner. But somehow I suspect that the Usual Wise Commentators will denounce pharmaceutical corporations for it. And while we're on the subject of health – let's take on the Nanny Statists: Radley Balko takes conservative David Frum to task for proposing a fat tax. But what about those evil McCorporations that manipulate us into eating fatty foods? (Thanks to Anja for the link.)

11/8 On effective rhetoric: Eugene Volokh, whom I too nominate to fill the next vacancy on the Supreme Court, says: Be in their face, but with a breath mint. And Tom Palmer's thorough list of pointers for effective public speaking.

11/6 Tyler Cowen's excellent recommendations for President Bush's second term. Professor David Mayer on the Republicans' mandate for progressive political reform.

11/5 Economist Alex Tabarrok on solving the donor organ problem.

11/4 Roll out the pork barrel: John Stossel on his success as a welfare queen. And here is Bill Kaufmann’s classic article on how welfare for artists cultivates mediocrity. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)

11/3 Sadik J. Al-Azm asks: Is the War on Terror almost over? (Thanks to Irfan for the link.) And the Strategy Page wonders, Does Al Qaeda still exist? Meanwhile, a filmmaker is murdered for expressing views that are critical of Islam. Update: The Dutch police have arrested a number of Islamic radicals. Update: The film that Theo van Gogh’s murderers did not like. Update: Screenwriter Bridget Johnson reports on what Hollywood stars have said about their fellow filmmaker’s murder.

11/2 Philosopher Jamie Whyte is going after Bad Thoughts.

11/1 The new issue of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies is out. And in honor of the 100th anniversary of Ayn Rand’s birth, the International Society for Individual Liberty announces the perfect location for its 2005 conference: St. Petersburg, Russia.

10/30 Another minority group that needs protection: This Hallowe’en let’s all try to be a little more sensitive and not hurt witches’ feelings. (Thanks to Anja for the link.) And at a neo-pagan site, The Witches’ Voice, a brief history of Samhain, commonly known as Hallowe’en.

10/29 Liberty magazine's four perspectives on voting for president: Bill Bradford likes Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik; Stephen Cox gives two cheers for George Bush; Sally McCarthy defends John Kerry's flip flops; and Douglas Casey decides to opt out. (Thanks to Alec at SOLO for the link.)

10/28 Now viewable online: the proceedings of The Cato Institute and The Objectivist Center’s conference in Washington: Lessons from the Iraq War: Reconciling Liberty and Security.

10/27 I am reading The Agony and The Ecstacy, Irving Stone’s compelling biographical novel of Michelangelo. And here is a good website devoted to Michelangelo's art, life, and historical context.

10/26 Walter Olson and the latest zaniness from the world of crazy lawsuits.

10/25 In The Independent Review, sociologist Erich Weede shows how globalization creates prosperity and lessens incentives for war.

10/23 Law professor Richard Epstein’s remarks on the 35th anniversary of The Reason Foundation.

10/21 The Bastiat Prize for Journalism. Named for the great 19th century French defender of economic freedom and awarded each year to those journalists who advance significantly the cause of liberty: This year’s winners.

10/20 Now that both Foucault and Derrida have merged with the Big Word-Processing Program in the Sky: Justly unflattering assessments of Derrida’s significance in The New York Times and at JohannHari.com. And here is my brief assessment on October 14th of reactions to Derrida at the Laissez-Faire web log. Finally: Please explain to me why post-modernist Michel Foucault praised the pre-modernist Iranian revolution. Update: Mark Goldblatt’s 2003 review of Derrida and Derrida. (Thanks to Michele for the link.)

10/19 The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is taking on repression and double standards at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

10/18 Evan Coyne Maloney’s documentary on the worsening of political correctness on three American campuses: Brainwashing 101.

10/16 The Alexander renaissance: Victor Davis Hanson reviews four recent books on Alexander the Great.

10/15 The Belmont Club on the kidnapping and beheading of Kenneth Bigley: Are we in the West really committed to war with Islamic fascism? (Via InstaPundit.)

10/14 Michael of the 2 Blowhards speculates on the future of book publishing. And at Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen is thinking about the high cost of textbooks.

10/13 Law professor David E. Bernstein on the march of the Canadian Thought Police. More information about Professor Bernstein’s very fine book is here: You Can’t Say That! The Growing Threat to Civil Liberties from Antidiscrimination Laws.

10/12 Roger Sandall on the continuing tragedy of African socialism, tribal hatreds, and religious warfare. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)

10/11 Greg Perkins gives an Objectivist answer to the philosophical question, “Why is there something and not nothing?” And Eyal Mozes takes up related questions about time and the Big Bang.

10/9 David R. Henderson’s excellent The Fortune Encyclopedia of Economics, first published in 1993, is now available online as The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.

10/8 An election option for those who favor third-party candidates but who worry about throwing away their vote: the Condorcet method. (Thanks to Anja for the link.)

10/7 Forest manager Charles Tomlinson on the healthy state of southern forests.

10/6 The always-worth-reading Johan Norberg.

10/5 Nikolai Getman’s paintings from the Soviet Gulag.

10/4 Natalie Angier has a God problem. (Thanks to Fred for the link.)

10/2 Screenwriter Thomas Keneally’s charming tale of how the story for Schindler’s List found him while he was shopping for a briefcase. And here is the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Films list.

10/1 Literary scholar Susan McCloskey asks: Was Shakespeare a determinist? And in The Chronicle of Higher Education, a review of Stephen Greenblatt’s recent biography of Shakespeare.

9/30 Jane Galt’s libertarian take on urban “smart growth”. (Via Marginal Revolution.)

9/29 In response to the worshipful treatment in The Motorcycle Diaries, Paul Berman reminds us that Che Guevera was a murderer and a totalitarian.

9/28 Weirdly fun photos and commentary from the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade. (Via InstaPundit.)

9/27 Thomas Sowell on injured ethnic pride as a factor in fostering Arab anti-Westernism. (Thanks to Michelle for the link.)

9/25 Economist Lawrence Reed explains the real causes of the Great Depression. (Thanks to Jeff L. at SOLO for the link.)

9/23 Michael Newberry initiates a discussion on Immanuel Kant’s concept of the sublime in art. And The New York Review of Books covers the recent renaissance in representational drawing. (Thanks to Michael for the link.)

9/22 Philosopher Simon Blackburn’s elegant article on Richard Rorty’s postmodernism. (Thanks to Matt for the link.)

9/21 So, you’ve always wondered, What do economists think about sex?

9/20 Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria on Hating America. And historian Keith Windschuttle reviews The Anti-Chomsky Reader, a collection of essays that assesses Noam Chomsky’s career in linguistics and as a political commentator.

9/18 The Royal Society of Chemistry’s fascinating timeline of science from the Big Bang to Archimedes to Copernicus to Watson & Crick and beyond. (Thanks to www.codebreaker.co.za for the link.) And on a lighter note, CNN asks: Who are the world’s best scientists, anyways?

9/17 Alexandra York’s new novel, Crosspoints: A Novel of Choice.

9/16 A panel of experts addresses the question: Can Islam reform? Ziauddin Sardar reports on soul-searching in the Islamic world after 9/11. And check out The Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism’s positions on the key issues.

9/15 The achievements of David Sarnoff, the business executive who perhaps more than any other promoted the electronic revolution of the 20th century. Also: philosopher Andrew Bernstein on The Inventive Age in American history. (Thanks to Michelle for the link.)

9/14 Psychologist Robert Campbell covers this past summer’s Positive Psychology Conference in Washington, D.C.

9/13 Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s one hundred most powerful women. And Mary Katharine Ham has a few words for those compassionate souls who want to help her out because she’s only a girl. (Thanks to the Independent Women’s Forum for the link.)

9/11 Roger Donway defends Frank Quattrone, the innovative Silicon Valley investment banker and now the latest scapegoat of anti-Wall-Street hysteria.

9/10 The Sokal Hoax was brilliant – but how about the Ern Malley Poetry Hoax – the original joke on pretentious postmodernism? (Thanks to Alan for the link.)

9/9 Anja Hartleb defends free speech in colleges and universities: Against speech codes.

9/8 Virginia Murr on the philosopher of Islamist terrorism: Sayyid Qutb, Islamism, and Al Qaeda.

9/7 Natalie Angier reviews The End of Faith, Sam Harris’s polemic on the dangers of religious toleration. (Requires free login at The New York Times. Thanks to Tom S. of the New Intellectual Forum for the link.)

9/6 Professor Bryan Caplan’s sobering Museum of Communism.

9/3 Ph.D. student Shawn Klein sorts out the moral and legal status of animals.

9/2 Reason’s Ron Bailey on doubling life expectancies. (So now I’m planning on 250 years.)

9/1 Who is your ideal presidential candidate? And here is a humorous comparison of the candidacies of George Bush and John Kerry. Also: a new book asks, Who were the greatest American presidents? Check out historian Paul Johnson on the Clinton presidency (ranked 24th), and the essays on Presidents Buchanan (ranked 39th), Lincoln (ranked 2nd), and Kennedy (ranked 18th). Update: Professor David Mayer’s ranking of American presidents.

8/31 In Asia Times, Li Yong Yan examines the Chinese government’s investment in athletes and athletics. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)

8/30 Human Rights Watch follows up on Cuba, a year after the Cuban government’s massive crackdown on dissidents. And here is their latest report on ethnic-cleansing in the Sudan.

8/28 From France: The Slacker’s Manifesto. (Thanks to Robert for the link.)

8/27 In The Wall Street Journal, Arthur Chrenkoff summarizes the little-heard but extensive good news about progress in Afghanistan.

8/26 Carlin Romano on the aphoristic genius of G. C. Lichtenberg. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)

8/25 Michael of the 2 Blowhards on the coming-to-be of teenager as a distinct phase of life.

8/24 Tom Bell at Agoraphilia.com explains what contemporary politicians can learn from Pertinax, the Roman emperor who ruled for just 87 days.

8/23 Philosopher of art Denis Dutton reviews the theories of primitivism in Western and non-Western art.

8/20 The Speculist … umm … speculates on the differences in lifestyles between poor and rich. Poor just ain’t what it used to be.

8/19 The Institute for Energy Research’s Rob Bradley has adapted the flowchart on The Enlightenment Vision, from Chapter One of my new book, Explaining Postmodernism. (Nice graphics! And talk about keeping good company!)

8/18 Jaroslav Romanchuk & Glenn Cripe introduce a Russian project to produce and promote new translations of Ayn Rand’s writings. (Thanks to Karen for the link.)

8/17 Psychologist Robert Campbell reviews Owen Flanagan’s The Problem of the Soul: Two Visions of Mind and How to Reconcile Them.

8/16 Art, creativity, and passion: Peter Cresswell's interview of artist Michael Newberry for The Free Radical.

8/15 Hashem Aghajari’s 2002 speech that earned him a death sentence from an Iranian court. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.) Also: Jonathan Rick’s backgrounder on the plight of the Palestinians.

8/14 Economist Thomas Sowell on the dangers of economic ignorance by those who make public policy.

8/7 Economist Walter E. Williams on modern-day slavery in America.

8/6 Columnist Keith Hammonds applies Col. John Boyd’s OODA- loop theories to business. (Thanks to Keith C. for the link.)

8/5 Arthur E. Foulkes in The Independent Review on the FDA’s role in causing vaccine shortages. See also The Independent Institute’s FDA Review website.

8/4 The Weekly Standard’s Emily Burns on some European anti-Lance-Armstrong reactions. Which raises the question: Is Lance Armstrong hated because he’s an American – or is America hated because it’s like Lance Armstrong?

8/3 Do psychics sometimes help police solve crimes? Joe Nickell of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal debunks the urban legend. And: Are the Masons secretly running the universe? (Thanks to Anja for the second link.)

8/2 In The Australian, columnist Mark Steyn asks bitterly: Why are the ‘humanitarians’ and the U.N. missing-in-action in the Sudan? Update: Sudan: The Passion of the Present is a web log devoted to background and journalism about the oppression and death in the Sudan.

7/31 Ed Hudgins tracks how many paternalist and socialist schemes John Kerry packed into his speech to the Democratic convention. And Robert Tracinski analyzes Kerry’s fellow Democrats’ bait-and-switch technique in their convention speeches. Note also Tracinski’s prediction that the Republicans won’t do much better at their convention next month.

7/30 Chris Goodman reconsiders Waller Newell’s provocative speculations about the Western origins of Islamic terrorism. And here is Daniel Pipes’s earlier article, which makes many similar connections. Also: Whalid Phares, Professor of Middle East Studies, argues that 9-11 was a failure of academia.

7/29 Irfan Khawaja perceptively reviews the reviews of Michael Moore’s "Fahrenheit 9-11".

7/28 Business ethicist Gary Hull on one victim of the Enron scandal: the principle of the presumption of innocence.

7/27 Jessica Warner reviews Big Sister, Neil Boyd’s account of the excesses of radical feminism. (Requires online registration at Toronto's The Globe & Mail.)

7/26 Johann Hari’s disturbing article on the status of homosexuals in Islamic communities. And an equally disturbing article on the status of just about everyone else. Also: Susan Stephan lists sixteen victims of evil: Writers who have been subject to physical violence by Islamic fanatics. (Thanks for Virginia for the link.)

7/25 English professor John Zuern’s online guide to Aristotle’s Poetics.

7/15 Literary critic Kirsti Minsaas on the role of tragedy in Ayn Rand's fiction.

7/14 Science writer Ronald Bailey on the good-news follow-up reports about Love Canal and those who are still drawing exactly the wrong lesson.

7/13 Philosopher Denis Dutton’s review of John Ellis’s classic Against Deconstruction.

7/12 Web logger Cody Hatch on the United States as a millionaire- making machine.

7/11 Haim Harari’s thoughtful and urgent overview and analysis of the Arab and Muslim worlds and the place of the Israel/Palestine conflict in it. (Thanks to Don P. for the link.)

7/2 The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education takes on a new attack on free speech in the name of protecting us from harassment.

7/1 Philosopher James Otteson takes up the question: Does too much freedom of choice tyrannize us?

6/30 The American Philosophical Association’s survey of professional philosophers on the state of the profession. (Thanks to David for the link.)

6/29 Correspondent Declan McCullagh on why we should let the F.C.C. die. (Via Marginal Revolution.)

6/28 Objectivism versus Conservatism: At FreedomFest 2004, David Kelley and Dinesh D’Souza debate The Best Moral Case for Capitalism.

6/26 In the Left-wing Dissent magazine, an interview with the excellent Adam Michnik on Polish intellectuals and the morality of the war to remove Saddam Hussein. And in The Wall Street Journal, historian Niall Ferguson asks: What if the US decides not to lead the world? (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)

6/25 TOC’s Ed Hudgins on what Islam can learn from Homer’s Iliad.

6/24 Christopher Hitchens delivers a badly-deserved spanking to Michael Moore. (Thanks to Don P. for the link.) Update: Web logger Robert Bidinotto explains the psychology of the Bush- and Reagan-haters and considers Moore’s sophistry in that light. And Michael Moore himself crams an impressive number of boneheaded thoughts about economics, ethics, politics, and the female body into a very short interview. (Thanks to Todd for the link.)

6/23 Keith Windschuttle, author of The Killing of History, assesses the state of historical writing in Australia, especially with respect to postmodern accounts of Aboriginal history.

6/22 Michelle Marder Kamhi on the humaneness of euthanasia and assisted suicide. And physician Todd Goldberg provides a backgrounder to the issues involved.

6/21 Law professor Eugene Volokh reports on judicial racism in Australia.

6/19 Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan reflects on Ronald Reagan’s character and achievements. (Via SOLO. ) Also: Web logger Steven den Beste reviews Reagan’s accomplishments in foreign policy and challenges a silly revisionist account.

6/18 The Malleus Maleficarum of 1486 on how to identify and persecute witches. Can’t wait for the second edition to come out. (Via Dynamist.com.)

6/17 The abstract for Elaine Sternberg’s Just Business (Oxford University Press), an Aristotelian approach to business ethics that, refreshingly, does not take ‘business ethics’ to be an oxymoron.

6/16 Sex! Drinking! Atheism! David Oderberg reviews James Franklin’s turbulent history of philosophy, Australian-style.

6/15 In The Journal of Value Inquiry, philosopher Tara Smith argues for the metaphysical basis of the virtue of honesty. Click on the Issue 4, 2003 link; then click on the PDF link for pp. 517-531.

6/14 June 21 is the target date for the first private flight into space. (Thanks to Karen for the link.) Also: NASA considers future space shuttle flights to repair the Hubble telescope.

6/12 K. C. Wilson of ifeminists.com debunks the “Rule of Thumb” — which allegedly gave husbands the right to beat their wives as long as the rod they used was no thicker than their thumbs. And for more on the sex-discrimination front, wise government leaders in New Jersey are saving us from the perils of discrimination by forbidding “Ladies’ Nights”.

6/5 Professor emeritus Adam Scrupski on some historians’ denial of the Katyn Forest Massacre of Polish officers in WW II and its foreign policy implications.

6/4 Dave Letterman’s Top Ten Ways to Lower the Price of Gas. And check out the links about the wise governmental leaders of Minnesota and Maryland who are punishing gas stations for selling gas too cheaply or giving away free coffee.

6/3 When, oh when, will they make free-market movies with riveting plots like these?

6/2 The Skeptical Inquirer’s William John Hoyt on some rising death rates and the debates over vaccinations. (Via Arts & Letters Daily)

6/1 An interview with Professor Mimi Reisel Gladstein, author of several books and articles on Ayn Rand.

5/30 ABetterEarth.org’s profile of the great Norman Borlaug.

5/28 Is sexual identity a result of nature or nurture? Wendy McElroy reviews the tragic case of a boy who was surgically transformed into a girl. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)

5/27 David Kelley interviews Charles Murray about his ambitious Human Accomplishment And here is William Thomas’s review.

5/26 Professor Edwin Locke praises Wal-Mart and argues that politicians should let customers decide where Wal-mart’s stores are located. (Requires login at The Chicago Tribune’s website. Thanks to David P. for the link.)

5/25 An interview with Nobel-prize-winning libertarian economist Milton Friedman. (Via SOLO. )

5/23 Archaeologist Joachim Latacz asks: Was there a Trojan War? — and considers the evidence from Homer. Manfred Korfmann, director of excavations at Troy, summarizes the archaeological evidence. See also Project Troia, the home site for reports on the excavations at Troy.

5/22 Doom-and-gloomster Paul Ehrlich has a history of spectacularly wrong predictions, notes Ronald Bailey. So why does anyone still listen to him?

5/21 Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy: author Christopher Yablonski finds that for every $1 donated to politically Right groups $4.41 is donated to Left groups.

5/20 Economist Stan Liebowitz examines and dismisses The Myth of QWERTY. (Thanks to Joe for the link.)

5/19 The Polaris Project’s efforts against trafficking in human bondage and slavery.

5/18 Hamilton College student Jonathan Rick defends the right to hate speech. (Great footnotes!)

5/17 Why do doomster environmentalists continue to support policies that kill Africans?

5/15 Reason’s Cathy Young on Alexander Solzhenitsyn – and whether the author of The Gulag Archipelago is also an anti-Semite.

5/14 Terrible things happened at Abu Ghraib prison. Columnist Thomas Sowell asks: How should responsible journalists report it? (Thanks to Marsha for the link.) And TOC’s Ed Hudgins asks a broader and more provocative question: are the people of the Middle East fit for freedom? Update: The Boston Globe’s Jeff Jacoby’s stinging column on media coverage of Abu Ghraib and the beheading of Nicholas Berg. (Via www.ecoNot.com.)

5/12 Law professor Randy Barnett provides a summary introduction to recent discussions of the Ninth Amendment.

5/10 From The Wall Street Journal, Victor David Hanson adds up the wages of appeasement. (Thanks to Robert for the link.)

5/8 Politically incorrect Tyler Cowen on the psychology of male and female competitive performance.

5/6 Economist Paul Romer offers advice on improving higher education's investing in innovation.

5/4 Pamela Bone reviews "Osama," the first film to come out of Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, and rages against the lack of women's rights in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

5/2 The Independent Institute’s Pierre Lemieux on the hidden costs of socialized medicine.

4/30 Philosopher Denis Dutton explains why the Left hates capitalism despite its amazing success.

4/29 Michael of the Blowhards praises light entertainment in the arts.

4/28 Law professor Stephen Bainbridge defends the shareholder wealth maximization theory of the corporation against communitarian redistribution schemes.

4/28 The University of South Carolina has received a $1 million donation to establish the BT&T Chair for the Study of Capitalism. Note the Ayn Rand connection. (Thanks to Rob for the link.)

4/27 Philosopher John Kekes on political activism and the professional responsibility of educators.

4/26 David Cohen of the London Evening Standard on militant Muslims waiting hopefully for Osama bin Laden to strike London. (Via Andrew Sullivan)

4/25 Harry of the Crooked Timber group reports positively on experiments with school vouchers in Milwaukee.

4/23 Columnist Radley Balko on the costs and dangers of having so many laws.

4/21 Against the doomster environmentalists, ABetterEarth.org keeps up with creative and optimistic solutions to environmental problems.

4/20 Historian David Mayer on the politicization of history as evidenced in reporting on the nature of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.

4/19 Economic historian Joel Mokyr’s list of most influential business entrepreneurs.

4/15 Literary critic Kirsti Minsaas’s very fine essay on structural integration in Ayn Rand's novels.

4/14 An interview with economist Alex Tabarrok.

4/13 According to theocrats, these happy people must be stopped by force of government. (Thanks to Will W. for the link.)

4/12 Philosopher Denis Dutton reviews Charles Murray’s Human Achievement.

4/11 Reason’s Ted Balaker explains how job-protectionists undermine fulfilling job creation. Friedrich of the 2Blowhards chimes in to recommend entrepreneurial thinking for employees everywhere.

4/8 Journalist Robert Bidinotto reports on four environmentalist causes that have led to tens of thousands of human deaths.

3/9 Marginal Revolution provides a summary and links to the Fraser Institute’s report of economic freedom in North America. Illinois is 21st out of 60.

3/8 Ronald Bailey asks: Is the President’s Bioethics Panel being stacked with conservatives?

3/6 If you love women, then three cheers for globalization!! (Via Marginal Revolution.)

3/5 Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye asks: Is America the new British Empire?

3/4 The Council of Foreign Relations’ informative site, Terrorism: Questions and Answers, covering terrorist groups around the world.

3/3 The New Yorker's George Saunders proposes an hilarious Samish-Sex Marriage Amendment.

3/2 Michelle Fram-Cohen’s classic review of Roland Huntford’s excellent The Last Place on Earth: the gripping tale of Amundsen’s and Scott’s quest for the South Pole.

3/1 Law professor Glenn Reynolds offers useful advice on teenage sex and adult responsibility.

2/28 Philosopher Roger Scruton asks: What would Immanuel Kant say about the Iraq war?

2/27 Robert Bidinotto on justice and utility: What is the purpose of criminal justice?

2/26 Friedrich von Blowhard on Mozart as an economic entrepreneur in the early days of capitalism as the feudal patronage system was dying.

2/25 A survey of college presidents asks: What books should every undergraduate read?

2/24 Steven den Beste on why Michael Moore's new film is not an act of treason and why the free speech rights of Michael Moore, NAMBLA, and the KKK must be protected.

2/23 The Institute for Justice takes on government bureaucrats who want to decide who can and cannot sell flowers.

2/21 Politopia revises the political spectrum and has a fun quiz to determine your political philosophy.

2/20 Will Wilkinson on why libertarians must attend also to developing a culture’s moral infrastructrure.

2/19 Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore on how environmentalism has gone wrong.

2/18 Arnold Kling discusses a possible tension between freedom and responsibility in the academic world. Update: Psychology professor Robert Campbell responds to Kling.

2/17 The Foundation for Individual Rights is defending a college instructor who was fired for discussing the Iraq war in class.

2/16 Terry Eastland on recent efforts to crack down on human trafficking – the smuggling of human beings for slave labor and sex exploitation.

2/14 The Onion's poll: What do Americans really think about gay marriage? [Dead link.]

2/13 The Chronicle of Higher Education covers a new effort to combat biased college teaching.

2/11 Attorney William Watkins takes on the legality of slavery reparations suits.

2/10 An Italian physician proposes a controversial compromise solution to the problem of female genital mutilation.

2/9 Web logger Steven den Beste reflects on the robustness of the American political experiment.

2/8 Ludwig von Mises’s classic essay on envy and punitive taxation. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)

2/7 Wendy McElroy takes on the vicious anti-male bias of "The Vagina Monologues".

2/6 How to solve the killer shortage of transplant organs? Economist Alex Tabarrok suggests that we pay organ donors.

2/4 Reflecting on Mohamed Kamal Mustafa’s writings, journalist Tom Utley offers advice on how to beat your wife.

2/3 Journalist John Stossel’s top ten list of lies, myths and downright stupidity.

2/2 Web logger Andrew Sullivan on George Bush’s domestic nanny state.

2/1 An overview of genetic engineering issues.

1/30 Spiked Online’s Richard A Shweder re-evaluates racism and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.

1/28 Educators Marsha Enright and Doris Cox provide a fine overview of Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy and methods.

1/26 New Scientist reports new research on love, lust, and brain science.

1/24 Tech Central Station’s Ralph Kinney Bennett admires the achievements and significance of the Wright brothers.

1/22 Michael Fumento on the promise of biotechnology.

1/20 What is your ethical philosophy? Try SelectSmart.com’s Ethical Philosophy Selector. My results are here.

1/19 Joanne Jacobs’s education web log.

1/18 At FreeMarket.net, J. D. Tucille provides an overview of the causes of – and solutions to – high medical costs.

1/17 Associate Editor Franklin Foer on soccer as a case study in the successes and challenges of globalization. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)

1/17 And let us not forget who won this year’s college soccer championship.

1/16 Economist Tyler Cowen summarizes new data on whether America is an income caste society.

1/15 The Objectivist Center’s Will Thomas explains the Objectivist view of free will.

1/14 Columnist Virginia Postrel on the importance of Friedrich Hayek.

1/14 Who’s more important to the future of the humanity? Economist Glen Whitman tallies the score: Salma Hayek versus Friedrich Hayek.

1/13 Physician Sydney Smith on the trial lawyers’ latest target for elimination: vaccinations.

1/12 Reason’s Ron Bailey nicely summarizes the scientific and political debates over DDT and malaria.

1/11 Michelle Fram-Cohen reviews John Malkovich’s The Dancer Upstairs.

1/10 24 Nobel Prize winning scientists have signed the AgBioWorld Declaration of Support for Agricultural Biotechnology. Bring on the Frankenfoods!

1/10 Web logger Robert Bidinotto investigates: Why do Doom-and-Gloom Environmentalists hate Frankenfoods?

1/9 The New Yorker’s Daniel Mendelsohn on Donald Kagan’s new book and the continuing relevance of the Peloponnesian War. (Via ButterfliesandWheels.com.)

1/8 Economist Alex Tabarrok graphs Steven Pinker’s data on cross-cultural comparison of male deaths in war in the 20th century.

1/7 Eyal Mozes takes on the dogmatic determinism of Daniel Dennett’s latest book.

1/6 The Fraser Institute’s John Graham reviews a Canadian film targeting the destructiveness of socialized medicine. Update: See also Ed Hudgins’s review.

1/5 Slate’s Laura Kipnis asks: Should colleges ban sex between professors and students? Update: E. Ruth Klein argues that such bans are insulting to both parties.

1/4 Sam Kazman of the Competitive Enterprise Institute argues against the Precautionary Principle.

1/3 The Cato Institute’s Richard Rahn compares private and government ownership of land.

1/2 Daryl Cobranchi’s libertarianism and education web log.

1/1 Space.com presents the top 10 astronomy images of 2003. (Via The Volokh Conspiracy.)

Archives: Worth Reading 2008, Worth Reading 2007, Worth Reading 2006, Worth Reading 2005, Worth Reading 2004, Worth Reading 2003.