In the Crito, Socrates is in prison awaiting execution for impiety and corrupting the youth. His impiety was judged to be a matter of questioning and possibly disbelieving the traditional gods, and his corrupting the youth was a matter of his teaching them to do the same. (See Apology.) Crito arrives at the prison, having […]
Socrates’ two bad arguments for not escaping Read More »
On who holds the real power: “I should like merely to understand how it happens that so many men, so many villages, so many cities, so many nations, sometimes suffer under a single tyrant who has no other power than the power they give him.” That’s from Etienne de la Boétie (1530-1563) in his Discourse
Voluntary submission to authority Read More »
Professor Mario Rizzo presents his new book Escaping Paternalism (Cambridge University Press, 2020). The book is co-authored with Glen Whitman. I love the cover image. Rizzo is a professor in the Economics Department at New York University and a deep-thinking scholar. Here’s his one-hour lecture at Brown University on the book’s themes:
Rizzo on Paternalism and Economics Read More »
Here’s Dr. Ann Laing, superintendant of the Racine, Wisconsin Unified School District: “The African-American families are the ones who are most prone to enroll their kids in the fly-by-night schools that cropped up after vouchers existed, and they don’t know how to make good choices for their children. They really don’t. They didn’t have parents
Educational paternalism and race — superintendant Ann Laing edition Read More »
Intelligence is a human being’s most important asset. One sign of this is the amount of time we spend educating our young. For some species, such as squirrels and hawks, the learning necessary to become a full adult is acquired in a matter of months. For more intelligent species, such as chimpanzees and elephants, it
On Intelligence, Freedom, and Who Knows What’s Best for You [Good Life series] Read More »
Honestly now: Do you have what it takes? We all like to think we’re smarter than average, but the math is cruel. Half of us are below median intelligence, and some of us are considerably lower. So why should we think that freedom is a good policy for everyone? I believe freedom is the best
Are You Smart Enough to Live in a Free Society? [Good Life series] Read More »
schiz•o•phren•ic, adjective: Of, relating to, or characterized by the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic elements. Let’s talk about one reason why politics makes us all a little crazy — its incoherent mix of laws and regulations. (Warning: overcharged metaphor ahead.) Not only does the left hand of government often not know what the right hand
I gave a lecture at the Atlas Summit in June 2015 in New Hampshire on “The Three Best Arguments against Liberal Capitalism.” See the video of the 50-minute lecture here: More information about the Atlas Society and its annual Atlas Summit is here.
The Three Best Arguments against Liberal Capitalism Read More »