After a week or so of computer woes, I’m back, ready to take aim at the American education model once more. A couple of weeks ago, I observed a few fundamental flaws in the way we teach our kids. Here’s a few more crucial ways we make our kids, and our adults, stupid. 4. Not everyone [...]
Last week I wrote about the difference between big government and big market intervention. The purpose here is to change the debate from the impractical (should government be big or small?) to the useful (what services, exactly, should government run?) I promised an answer to the latter, more meaningful, question, and today I deliver. 1. [...]
Comments on my recent post about problems with the Free Market = Fair Distribution Hypothesis have led me to an interesting conclusion: People confuse government size with degree of market interference. These are not the same thing. Libertarians seem to be for small government and low regulation, while socialists are for big government and high [...]
In the first post in this series, I discussed the essence of the drug problem, and determined that the real problem is a conflict between: The right to choose how to live one’s own life. The responsibility not to cause harm to others. The unfortunate reality that use of and addiction to various drugs causes [...]
In my previous post I explained the true drug problem. I differentiated the symptoms from the underlying pathology by defining “the drug problem” as a conflict between: The right to choose how to live one’s own life. The responsibility not to cause harm to others. The unfortunate reality that use of and addiction to various [...]
I figured that taking a few shots at the internet’s favorite candidate would draw some criticism, and it did indeed. Here I will address some of these criticism. First, it’s not that I’m out to get Ron Paul in particular. However, I don’t understand the enormous online support for him compared to other political candidates [...]
Previously in this segment, I discussed how the RIAA fabricates a link between unauthorized music downloading and shrinking music industry profits. After some insightful discussion, I also differentiated the treatment of piracy in criminal and tort law. Today I turn to what might be called the Robin Hood argument. Francois writes: “And even if such [...]
Several interesting points came up in the discussion of my last post, which addressed how the RIAA deceives the public regarding its imaginary losses due to music piracy. Paul wrote: “Saying that it’s not a loss if the person wouldn’t buy it if it weren’t available for free is like saying it’s not stealing for [...]
In my previous two posts, I established first that the grades assigned to students are subjective, if not entirely arbitrary; and second, that grades are pragmatically important because admissions, scholarships and jobs hinge on them. In summary, the system of grading is horribly screwed up, and we can’t just ignore it because careers, self-esteem and [...]
In my last post, I established that grades are subjectively, if not arbitrarily, assigned. This inevitably draws the ‘pure learner’ argument. Cynthia writes: “Why don’t you try being a pure learner, whose objective is knowledge, not grades??” This is another way of asking, what does it matter if grades are subjective? Why do grades even [...]