Here’s a good example of the appeal to hatred and indifference to human suffering that lies at the very core of the Republican Party platform.
Category: Sustainability
Focusing on Virtues
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161 to 180 CE, was an adherent of the Stoic philosophy, which I would summarize as valuing our limited time of Earth, and making ourselves the best people possible by focusing on long-term virtues rather …
Tagged with: long-term sustainability
Demons on the Inside?
I can’t imagine Freud really said this. Obviously, I can’t read others’ thoughts, but it strikes me that people who behave with compassion and reason are less likely to have “demons” inside than those who are overtly irrational and mean.
Tagged with: compassion and reason
Is the Value of Education Questionable?
The sentiment expressed at left makes sense to many of us, but, upon reflection, it comes from two completely disparate camps: the opposite ends of the IQ bell curve. We happily grant that people like Mozart, Einstein, Monet, and Mark …
Tagged with: Value of Education
The Second Coming and Sustainability
A reader notes: Many of the Christians in the USA think Jesus’s return is not far off, thus a huge disincentive for long term sustainability. I actually ran into a fellow who told me that we was rooting for the …
Tagged with: sustainability
Dealing with the Water Crisis
Here’s a fabulous episode of the widely syndicated radio show Fresh Air, featuring ProPublica investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten discussing the crisis of water shortages in the American west. Climate change has brought about severe and apparently unending droughts here. We …
Tagged with: water crisis
Christianity and Moral Progress
I believe this was true when Bertrand Russell said it in 1926, in his lecture that was later transcribed into the essay “Why I Am Not a Christian.” It’s certainly less so today, given the statements and actions of Pope …
The Meaning of Life
FWIW, I side with the existentialists on this matter. I.e., I hold that there is no purpose or meaning to our lives other than that which we convey onto it. Obviously, many people disagree. Some believe God has a plan …
Tagged with: meaning of life
These Are Not American Values
It’s hard to think of something more antithetical to American values than this photo of long-time Trump advisor Roger Stone, seated among the top echelon of the Proud Boys, smiling at the camera and displaying the “white power” signal. I’m …
A Federal Abortion Ban Can’t Be Good Politics
My stats as a political prognosticator aren’t excellent. As my mom likes to point out, “Craig, you’ve been predicting that Trump is going to be criminally prosecuted since a few months into his term.” Having said that, I really can’t …
Tagged with: criminalizing abortion
