Philosophy
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
How Paul Ryan as GOP VP Nominee Does—And Does Not—Change The Debate
Paul Hsieh August 11, 2012
Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney has just selected Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential nominee. Although we'll undoubtedly hear much more about Ryan in the next few days, I'd like to offer some early thoughts on how Ryan's selection will and will not change the 2012 political debate. On…
Philosophy
Islamist Ideology Leads to Murder—Again
Ari Armstrong July 13, 2012
Islamists commit so many atrocities—from slaughtering Americans and Israelis, to murdering homosexuals and Christians, to disfiguring and murdering women, to raping and mutilating little girls—that one can become lackadaisical about the countless related stories that stream past us on the internet and television every day. But once in awhile we…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
AmeriCorps: Collectivist, Immoral, and Should be Eliminated
Joshua Lipana April 7, 2012
The New York Times is calling for the government to “step up” its support for AmeriCorps, while reprimanding Republicans who want to reduce or eliminate funding for it, castigating them for forgetting “the value of community service.” AmeriCorps’ activities, which consist primarily in working with other non-profit organizations to “build…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Reason Ralliers Need the "How" of Reason-Based Rights
Ari Armstrong April 2, 2012
“America was not founded on God and religion. America was founded on reason,” said Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptic magazine, at the 2012 Reason Rally in Washington, DC. He added: The Age of Reason . . . was the age when humanity was born again, not from original sin, but…
Good Living, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Andrew Breitbart’s “So?”—A Great Question and Now a Worthy Charity
Craig Biddle March 9, 2012
[caption id="attachment_92906" align="alignnone" width="720"] Image by Gage Skidmore[/caption] The night after Andrew Breitbart died, I watched an episode of Red Eye w/Greg Gutfeld in which Gavin McInnes told a delightful story about Breitbart. In an earlier episode of Red Eye, Gutfeld and McInnes had been mocking the idea of Donald…
Philosophy
Santorum “Throws Up” on Separation of Church and State
Ari Armstrong February 29, 2012
Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum condemned the principle of the separation of church and state, as the Boston Globe reports. Last fall Santorum said that he “almost threw up” after reading John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech endorsing the principle. On Sunday, Santorum elaborated in an interview with ABC’s “This Week”: I…
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
“Zombie Mohammed” Case Shows Western Capitulation to Islamist Barbarism
Ari Armstrong February 28, 2012
A free society recognizes the right of each person to profess his beliefs—no matter how controversial—so long as he does not physically harm (or threaten) others or their property. The government of a free society stops and criminally charges anyone who forcibly interferes with another’s free expression. But last Halloween…
Philosophy, Science & Technology
Pope Immorally Condemns “Artificial Fertility”
Ari Armstrong February 26, 2012
The Pope belies his church’s “pro life” posturing in his recent condemnation of “artificial fertility,” by which he means any medically assisted pregnancy not involving a “conjugal act” between husband and wife. Thus, the AP summarizes, the Pope condemns “sperm or egg donation and methods such as in vitro fertilization.”…
Philosophy
Fear Not “Satan” but Santorum
Ari Armstrong February 22, 2012
What are we to make of a presidential candidate, a man seeking the most powerful position in the world—a position that grants him the ability to sign bills into U.S. law and that places his fingers on U.S. nuclear launch codes—who thinks the problems of our nation are caused by . . . “Satan”?…
Philosophy, Reviews
Review: The Closing of the Muslim Mind, by Robert R. Reilly
Burgess Laughlin February 20, 2012
Burgess Laughlin reviews The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis, by Robert R. Reilly.