Tag Archives | science

Science That Lives by the Narrative Can Die by the Narrative

Feature Article by , June 21, 2018

“Science” is all the rage these days, particularly among those who preen themselves as the “party of science.” We’re not just supposed to love science. We’re supposed to love it with an intensity so great, we need to drop the F-bomb to express it. We’re supposed to learn about science from popularizers who are alternately […]

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The High Road of Hope and Prosperity

Commentary by , June 20, 2018

Five Things You Need to Read Today 1. Did Monticello Just Evict Thomas Jefferson? Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, has just completed a restoration of the house’s outbuildings and slave quarters. The way the New York Times describes it, this is being used as an excuse to evict Jefferson from his own house. The […]

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Progressives Against Enlightenment

Feature Article by , June 6, 2018

One of my concerns about the Trump era is that it signals a wave of anti-intellectualism on the right, a collapse in concern for basic ideas. It has also triggered something of an anti-intellectual response on the left, because Trump is the bogeyman who justifies blind, frenetic “resistance” in place of thoughtful criticism and reasoned […]

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Just “Imagine,” or Trust But Verify?

Commentary by , April 30, 2018

Five Things You Need to Read Today Here is your latest update, for subscribers only, recommending five stories that are worth catching. 1. Just “Imagine”–or Trust But Verify? So is this peace overture from North Korea for real? Well, maybe. But probably not. North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-Un has visited South Korea–in itself a first–and […]

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Five Things You Need to Read Today

Commentary by , February 4, 2018

Here’s your weekly update, for subscribers only, drawing your attention to five stories that are worth catching. Today, the main theme is the struggle we’re having these days between reason and dogma. 1. Donald Trump, Libertarian? Donald Trump ran for president as an economic nationalist. But has he governed as a libertarian? That’s the upshot […]

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Five Things You Need to Read Today

Commentary by , January 28, 2018

Here’s your weekly update, for subscribers only, drawing your attention to five stories that are worth catching. Today, the main theme is our struggle to assert facts over narratives or symbolism. 1. How Bad Ideas Happen I have lamented before about how many bad ideas for the expansion of government–the basic income, the individual mandate, […]

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Oprah Winfrey, Our Premier National Snake Oil Salesman

Feature Article by , January 8, 2018

After her rousing speech at the Golden Globes about sexual harassment—she’s got to do something to atone for her years as one of Harvey Weinstein’s celebrity pals—we’ve been inundated with calls for Oprah Winfrey to run for president. The official NBC network account went so far as to post (and later delete) a tweet hailing […]

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Five Things You Need to Read Today

Commentary by , December 10, 2017

Here’s your weekly update, for subscribers only, drawing your attention to five stories that are worth catching. This week, the main theme is the strange contempt for science among its vocal defenders. 1. Whatever Happened to Freedom of Association? The latest adventure in coerced baking—the Supreme Court is hearing Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights […]

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Five Things You Need to Read Today

Commentary by , November 19, 2017

Here’s your weekly update, for subscribers only, drawing your attention to five stories that are worth catching. This week, the main theme is internecine conflict within the left. 1. But Gorsuch! And Maybe More Such Falling back on the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is the clichéd response for Trump supporters who […]

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Scientific Consensus, Courtesy of Lawyers

Feature Article by , November 2, 2017

If we have such an overwhelming scientific “consensus” about the supposed threat of catastrophic man-made global warming—and about the political and economic solutions to it—then why do advocates have to sue scientists to prevent them from questioning it? That’s the question raised by a $10 million lawsuit lawsuit filed by Stanford engineering professor Mark Z. […]

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