Craig Biddle's Articles
Politics & Rights
Military 'Solutions' Don't Work; Try Suicide!
Craig Biddle September 12, 2006
Having observed the various unprincipled positions, non-positions, and evasions of conservatives, liberals, and in-betweenies regarding what to do about Iran, I was surprised this morning to discover a proposal even more boldly suicidal than any yet offered. This from Nicholas Kristof at the New York Times: Iran could be persuaded…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
A Video from Memri on the Arab and Iranian Reaction to 9/11
Craig Biddle September 11, 2006
This video from Memri is a vivid reminder of how genuinely evil the Islamists are. (As you watch it, bear in mind that, while some religionists are less dedicated than others to their respective creeds, all religions call for acceptance of ideas in the absence of evidence, obedience to a…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Relativism and Religion vs. the Lives of Americans
Craig Biddle September 7, 2006
With the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, here are a few facts worth circulating: That over 6,000 Americans have been killed by or in pursuit of Islamic terrorists since September 2001—and that we still have not even attacked, let alone destroyed, the regimes most responsible for their deaths—is a consequence of…
Philosophy
Jesus on Family Values and Self-Love
Craig Biddle September 2, 2006
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26) Offer this as "grace" at a dinner table full of Christians. It makes for interesting conversation.
Arts & Culture
Stop!
Craig Biddle September 2, 2006
Don't do it. There's no need to purchase that expensive Jackson Pollock painting. You can make your own for free—and it will be just as good.
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
How to Solve America's Terrorism Problem in 5 Easy Steps
Craig Biddle August 31, 2006
[caption id="attachment_7131" align="alignright" width="261"] 911[/caption] Here is how America could solve her terrorism problem in 5 easy steps: Stop sacrificing American soldiers to bring "freedom" to savages in Iraq. Pull our soldiers out of that hellhole, and let the savages have their civil war. (Iraq is not and never was…
Announcements
From the Editor, Fall 2006
Craig Biddle August 20, 2006
Craig Biddle introduces the Fall 2006 issue.
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Hezbollah Murders 56 Lebanese, Including 34 Children
Craig Biddle July 31, 2006
When the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over 200,000 people, those people were murdered by imperial Japan. Likewise, when Israel bombs a Hezbollah-infested village in Lebanon, killing 56 people, those people are murdered by Hezbollah. In circumstances such as these, there is a difference between the…
Philosophy, Science & Technology
Reason Delivers Again
Craig Biddle July 16, 2006
Here are two welcome reports from Medical News Today: Blood Test Predicts Detects Lung Cancer Years Before CT Scan 16 Jul 2006 A new blood test is able to correctly predict non-small-cell lung cancer in patients years before any CT scan can detect it, say researchers from the University of…
Announcements
Writing Opportunity for Objectivists
Craig Biddle July 16, 2006
If you are an Objectivist blogger or writer, here is a good opportunity to write for a college audience. Dear Objectivist blogger and Ayn Rand fan, The Undercurrent, a national Objectivist campus publication, is now accepting submissions for its back-to-school issue, due to hit the presses in the first week…
Politics & Rights
The Taliban Can… Because We Let Them
Craig Biddle July 12, 2006
Our primary target after 9-11 should not have been the Taliban in Afghanistan; it should have been the regime in Iran. But if we were going to pursue the Taliban, we certainly should have eliminated these vile creatures swiftly and permanently. In order to have done so, however, our military…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
It's Religion and Altruism, Stupid: Take Two
Craig Biddle June 27, 2006
Here is another good piece by Diana West, in which she correctly notes that If we still valued our own men more than the enemy's and the "civilians" he hides among—and now I'm talking about the war in Iraq—our tactics would be totally different, and, not incidentally, infinitely more successful.…
Science & Technology
Of Mice and Men
Craig Biddle June 22, 2006
More excellent news about stem cell research, this time from John's Hopkins University: Stem cells taken from mouse embryos have helped paralyzed rats move again, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The study was the best evidence so far that controversial embryonic stem cells might be used to treat people with…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
It's Religion and Altruism, Stupid
Craig Biddle June 20, 2006
In an article titled "It's an Islamic jihad, stupid," Diana West wonders why the Bush administration "keep[s] things vague and indirect," pursuing a "war on terror" rather than a war on "Islamic jihadists." Ms. West notes that without understanding the religious nature of jihad (holy war), along with its sister…
Philosophy, Science & Technology
Altruism: The Morality of Suffering and Death (Exhibit 347R: Organ Donation)
Craig Biddle June 13, 2006
The widespread acceptance of altruism (the fallacious notion that being moral consists in self-sacrificially serving others) causes continuous human suffering and death. Yet another example of this fact is illustrated in a recent article by Dr. Sally Satel (a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute). Because of the widespread…
