The Only Orthodoxy is Reason

My wife and I left the US about nine months ago to teach English in South Korea for a year. Living and working in a different country has introduced us to a host of cultural differences. Many of them were unexpected, but some of them are quite humorous. One of the differences […]

Alfred North Whitehead claimed that “all philosophy is a footnote to Plato.” The professor for my philosophy 101 class repeated that claim often and earnestly. He narrowed Whitehead’s claim on the first day of class, pronouncing to us that all philosophy was a foonote to The Republic–doubtless seeking to impress upon our 18-year […]

What is the reward system in this country?  From schools to businesses to private homes, are rewards making people feel appreciated and stimulating them toward further success or are they woefully incongruous with the achievement that is being recognized?
In school a student wins the class math contest and is rewarded with a basket of candy.  […]

Whenever people with differing opinions debate their respective positions, finding common ground is integral. The abortion debate, I suspect, is no different. It’s entirely possible that progress on abortion dialogue might only occur with a similar pursuit towards what is held mutually, and not an emphasis on where the camps differ.
Perhaps the following statement could be […]

J.R.R. Tolkien, the great writer and Oxford don, had a very high opinion of myths. In contrast to his close friend and colleague, C.S. Lewis, who also highly valued myths, but saw them as the best (in the moral sense) lies humanity ever told, Tolkien saw myths as the most truthful stories that humanity ever […]

The United States Constitution governs the relationship between religion and the government in a single clause: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . . .” This provision of the First Amendment is often assumed, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, to create a “wall […]

Let us speak of work.  Little in the way of explanations or definitions needs to be made here since most of us are forced to participate in the practice for survival. The point to be made, however, is that surveys reveal large numbers of people who are dissatisfied with their positions.  For example, one survey […]

In 2006, Massachusetts passed the Massachusetts Health Reform Law.  One can read a simple breakdown of the law here. 
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has now decreed, essentially:
a.)    That all will spend money on health insurance if they or their employers are not already, their other financial wishes be damned,
b.)    The amounts spent by residents and their […]