Philosophy
History, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
On a Deluded America
John David Lewis June 28, 2006
Diana West has written a fiery op-ed that, on its face, seems to provide a well-needed antidote to the moral platitudes that are preventing America from ridding the world of savage brutes ("Deluded America," Washington Times, June 23, 2006). Certainly the defenders of America will be energized to read: If…
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.…
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…
History, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Terrorism and the Koran
John David Lewis June 11, 2006
Many people in the West maintain that the Koran is opposed to terrorism: the initiation of violence against unarmed civilians to incite terror for a political cause. To many westerners, Bin Laden, et al are motivated by a totalitarian political ideology, not by Islam, and are "hijackers" of Islam, not…
Philosophy
Sex-Changes for Freedom
Alan Germani June 8, 2006
A story from an Arabic sex news site reports an interesting development in Saudi Arabia: female to male sex-change operations: Reports reveal that in 2005, there were no less than five cases of women who underwent surgery to become men in the Kingdom, according to Al Watan…. Some Saudi officials…
Philosophy, Science & Technology
Heroes at Harvard
Craig Biddle June 7, 2006
While Bush and company scheme to provide the America-hating Iranian theocracy with nuclear technology, some people are thinking rationally and promoting human life. From the Boston Globe: Harvard scientists announced yesterday that they are beginning an ambitious attempt to create the world's first cloned human embryonic stem cells, bringing the…
History, Philosophy
Notes on the Near Eastern Legacy of Islam
John David Lewis May 27, 2006
I just finished teaching an undergraduate university class on the Ancient Near East: 15 weeks on Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. I read as many original documents and modern histories—and looked at as much art—as I had time to do. I became intrigued by the many parallels between radical Islam and…
Philosophy
Theocracy and Precedent
John David Lewis May 26, 2006
Here are excerpts from the expatriate Iranian satirist Ibrahim Nabavi's open letter to President Ahmadinejad, in the online Persian daily Rooz: . . . Oh adorable little boy who makes noise and needs attention! . . . you had written to [President] Bush to present a solution to the problems…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Michael Farris Interview on 'Fresh Air'
Alan Germani May 25, 2006
Yesterday on NPR's radio show "Fresh Air" host Terry Gross interviewed Michael Farris, president of the fundamentalist Christian school Patrick Henry College. This regrettably named institution seeks to train home-schooled Christians to be tomorrow's leaders, "ready to reclaim the biblical principles upon which our land was founded." The interview with…