Perhaps Yale, traditionally, has engendered something of the spirit of the forty-niners. But if the recent Yale graduate, who exposed himself to Yale economics during his undergraduate years, exhibits enterprise, self-reliance, and independence, it is only because he has turned his back . . . Continue reading →
political correctness
A Rational Alternative To “Safe Spaces” On Campus
The promise of a liberal arts education is to provide challenging, unpredictable, and even uncomfortable intellectual and interpersonal encounters in order to produce the capacity for critical thinking, open-mindedness, and critical self-examination in graduates who are less dogmatic and prejudiced than when . . . Continue reading →
Political Correctness At Work
Now, however, publicly supporting the entire LGBTQ movement’s agenda is mandatory. If employees refuse to participate in a company Gay Pride event, their behavior may be interpreted as discriminatory insubordination. If a female employee complains about a male using the women’s restroom, . . . Continue reading →
Supreme Court In 1957: Academic Freedom Is Self-Evident
The State Supreme Court thus conceded without extended discussion that petitioner’s right to lecture and his right to associate with others were constitutionally protected freedoms which had been abridged through this investigation. These conclusions could not be seriously debated. Merely to summon . . . Continue reading →
A Muslim Approaches The Truth About Global Islamism And Jihad
(HT: @muddygravel) It should be added that the Ft Hood and San Bernardino attacks and others suggest that the line between ideological Islamism and violent jihad is fluid and rapidly crossed. The high percentage of Islamic Study Centers (mosques) in the USA . . . Continue reading →
From The Campus To The Culture: The Potential Death Of Free Speech
“If you believe as I do that ideas have consequences, what happens on American college campuses will eventually percolate its way down and through the culture as a whole. And if we lose free speech on college campuses, we will eventually lose . . . Continue reading →
Taking The Temperature Of Free Speech
When was the last time you stopped yourself from saying something you believed to be true for fear of being punished or criticized for saying it? If you live in America, it probably hasn’t been long. That’s not just a talking point . . . Continue reading →
The LGBT War On Free Thought And Speech
The vitriolic reaction of the LGBT lobby to honesty from Americans about their consciences, religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, and political stances shows that their agenda boils down to shutting down free speech. This sounds counter-intuitive. After all, the media and Hollywood conditioned . . . Continue reading →
Why Studying Western Civ Matters
…learning about Western culture isn’t simply about undertaking a cohesive study of the history, philosophy, literature, and arts that have enormously influenced the world in which we all live. It is also about learning how to express ideas effectively, how to separate . . . Continue reading →
So There ARE Limits To Self-Identity?
The DOJ Wants To Deny The Heteronormative Cake And Eat It Too
In an age in which sexist stereotypes are forbidden, what does Gupta think that it means to “live, work and study as men”? Obviously, the Obama administration would never embrace the heteronormative prejudice that part of living as a man might include . . . Continue reading →
Open Discussion Leads To Peace. Squelching Dissent Does Not
By the way, I accept it as fair that if a person advocates positions in writing, his ideas may be criticized and disagreed with vigorously—I won’t squeal about spirited and rational public discourse. Indeed, more of that may lead to more peace . . . Continue reading →
Is It Education Or Propaganda?
If you can’t ask a candid question of a professor or fellow students without fear of retribution, you aren’t in a place of learning. That’s because real knowledge can be fueled only by free and open inquiry. The process of learning for . . . Continue reading →
It Is Not Bigoted To Talk Sense
The mere fact that professor Peet would like to be addressed by a particular pronoun does not mean that I am required to address him by that pronoun. That doesn’t mean that I deny his existence or the existence of people who . . . Continue reading →
An Undergrad Replies To Social Justice Warriors
But the SJW movement is so hopelessly confused and maddeningly fickle that the prospect of their rising powers of censorship is nothing short of terrifying. Not satiated by the traditional right-wing targets of progressive indignation, they eat their own: feminists who criticize . . . Continue reading →
After The Wikileaks Emails There Is No Question
Somehow, large parts of our civil society have succumbed to that base but instinctive drive in people to lord it over others. That drive, as always, motivates those who tend to seek the reins of power. History is filled with unsavory characters . . . Continue reading →
Reasoned Discourse: The University’s Birthright
A university has sold its birthright for a mess of pottage when it surrenders its role as a facilitator of reasoned discourse to gain acceptance from an angry mob who happen to be expressing the campus culture’s currently popular “cause du jour.” . . . Continue reading →
New Canadian Law Goes To War Against Nature
Laws such as Bill 28 put children and their biological parents on notice that they have no legal right to exist in a family without special permission from the state. This law lays the groundwork for legally separating all children from their . . . Continue reading →
Who Is anti-Science?
Using the authority of “scientific consensus” to stifle heterodox hypotheses and alternative fields of research: Science is never truly settled. Indeed, challenging seemingly incontrovertible facts and continually retesting long-accepted theories are crucial components of the scientific method. Examples of perceived truths overturned . . . Continue reading →
Whence The Claim That 97% Of Climate Scientists Support Global Warming
This claim is actually a come-down from the 1988 claim on the cover of Newsweek that all scientists agree. In either case, the claim is meant to satisfy the non-expert that he or she has no need to understand the science. Mere . . . Continue reading →