In Book 10 of The Republic, Plato remarks that there is an “ancient quarrel between philosophy and poetry” — with poets and philosophers battling for intellectual and moral superiority. It seems that some contemporary Russians have turned Plato’s inter-disciplinary war into a pair of intra-disciplinary battles. Datum 1 — poetry: “Russian ‘kills friend in argument […]
The ancient quarrel — philosophy and poetry, Russian style Read More »
Hal Gregersen, co-author of The Innovator’s DNA (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011), identifies the often-shared traits of innovators, but then makes this striking point about how the innovative became innovative: “‘It’s fascinating when we interview these famous entrepreneurs to realise that they grew up in worlds where adults paid attention to these innovation skills.’ Most
The Innovator’s DNA — and Montessori education Read More »
According to the 2014 Heritage index, the six most economically free nations are Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada. Question: Is it a coincidence that five of the six are former British colonies? Follow-up questions: * If not a coincidence, what did the British do in their colonies to enable this legacy
Question about economic freedom and British history Read More »
In this 20-minute “Unleash Your Inner Company” talk, entrepreneur John Chisholm (San Francisco) discusses: * the values that motivate entrepreneurs; * the mutually-reinforcing traits of passion and perseverance; * finding unique customers needs; * fitting those needs to one’s own uniqueness, strengths, and weakness; * how entrepreneurs are leaders; * his own entrepreneurial experiences; *
John Chisholm — “Unleash Your Inner Company” talk Read More »
A survey asked students: What obstacles prevent your academic success? “The number one reason, which was given by 33% of the students, was that they simply didn’t know how to study.” More obstacles and solutions at The Art of Manliness site.
Study advice for the new semester Read More »
I’ve been enjoying Qiu Xiaolong‘s series of mystery novels set in Shanghai in the 1990s. One thing I like is Xiaolong’s ability to recreate a culture in transition, with characters of the generation of the Cultural Revolution interacting with characters of the liberalizing and modernizing generation. Early in the Death of a Red Heroine, the
Dancing in communist China Read More »
Two data points and a question: 1. This graph showing the dramatic 80% reduction in the world poverty rate over the last 40 years: 2. This Gapminder survey showing that 95% of Americans asked believe that poverty rates have stayed the same or increased: The question: What explains the great discrepancy between reality and belief?
Poverty reduction and public awareness Read More »
Lawyer Timothy Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation is guest blogging at the Volokh Conspiracy. In 2009, Sandefur spoke at Rockford University on on the topic of “Market Entrepreneurs and Political Entrepreneurs: Some Legal and Constitutional Issues”; my follow-up interview with him is at the CEE site. He is the author of several works, including
Timothy Sandefur at the Volokh Conspiracy Read More »