Squaring The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street
“Democracy is the safest of all states.” Aristotle (Politics) Aristotle can be dismissed as a racist, misogynist, or xenophobe. He may be all those and a dry writer, but few … Continue reading
Quicker than Khan: Calculus, Basics of Modern Mathematics in 30 Mins.
Khan Academy admirably provides access to mathematics lectures to anyone with the desire to learn. Flash videos are a good way to slowly walk through examples; they may not, however, … Continue reading
Open Letter to Muslim Brotherhood & Egyptian Opposition: A Way Out: Minimal Elections Maximal Participation
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the MB and NSF (National Salvation Front), Below is a way forward and perhaps an opportunity for Egypt to become a model for new democracy … Continue reading
Unriddling Lochner: Pound’s Legal Philosophy Explains a Ton of Anomaly
Jurisprudence (philosophy of law) sounds like quite an intimidating word; but, as Roscoe Pound ably demonstrates, knowing a bit about what law is and what law sets out to do … Continue reading
The Egg Came First: Plato’s Parmenides or How Progress Exists in Philosophy
Plato’s dialogue “Parmenides” is notoriously enigmatic. Viewing it through the proper (wide-angle) lens, however, it is quite readable and well worth the effort. In it, the philosopher critiques his own … Continue reading
Defending the People from the Professors, John P. McCormick
Defending the People from the Professors by John P. McCormick. For some years now, while presenting parts of a book on Machiavelli and democratic theory across North America, I’ve been … Continue reading
Inspiring Story: Albert R. Hall, A Real Wisconsin Hero
This is a story of the power of one dedicated individual, a story that could restore your faith in politics. This is a story about how a modest farmer, of … Continue reading
If Crowds are Wise, Why isn’t Congress?
[Appeared Dec. 20, 2013 on Truthout. Look for comments there: http://bit.ly/1hsp2zr%5D We’ve all heard of the “wisdom of crowds” especially after James Surowiecki’s 2004 best-selling book by that name and … Continue reading
US Presidential Elections 1912 to 2012: What’s changed? What’s still the same?
Wondering what has changed in society and politics over the last 100 years, I looked back at the 1912 election–no time-machine jokes please. What I found was not encouraging. Much … Continue reading
What does Plato have to do with anything?
What does “Idealism” mean to you? I am referring to philosophical Idealism not the psychological variety–the kind that would call someone naive or unrealistic. Idealism in philosophy (and likewise just … Continue reading
Could a Future Election be a Lottery?
What if politics were not a horse race? Hearing the junkies rattle on, the pundits and talking heads babble, I am struck by the game discourse. Every district, every seat … Continue reading
Fila Sophia 