What I’ve been thinking a lot of about lately is this concept of identity. And I’ve got like… a dozen half-written posts trying to explore my own thoughts, and figure out exactly how I want to present what I’m effectively trying to say. Maybe they’ll get finished, but maybe they won’t. I don’t know. But maybe I can attempt here to at least cut to the chase.
Tag: class
The Debate Over Taxation Cannot Be Value-Free
When anyone calls for a new tax or a tax increase, what that person wants is for government personnel to threaten force against anyone who fails to surrender his or her money to the state. But almost no one speaks in those terms. If tax advocates did that, their rhetoric at least would be honest (and only in that sense noble.) Instead, such people engage in base rhetoric.
Embrace Your Intellect, Even if it Alienates You
The human race is divided by its diversity of traits. This is a natural and beautiful phenomenon. Given time, we steadily branch outward in every conceivable direction from the generic template of what it means to be human.
Words Poorly Used #85 — Agreement
For purposes of this discussion there are two disjunct forms of agreement. When a seller and a buyer reach a meeting point on a transaction, it is a meeting point of agreement.
Influences I
Whenever someone asks me which philosophers I follow, I very quickly branch off into persons who do not seem to be philosophers within the narrow meaning of the term, lover of knowledge. But how could Mark Twain possibly be not that? If asked who are the great wits, I will come up with a list from all over the place. In what universe would we think Lewis Carroll was not as witty as could be?
Finding Beauty in Every Freakin’ Moment, No Matter What
How often are we anxious, frustrated, looking forward to something coming up, unhappy with ourselves, unhappy with others? How often are we not happy with what’s going on in this present moment? What if we could, instead, be completely in love with this moment? What if, no matter what happened, we could find the beauty, joy, and gratitude in the moment as it happens? Let’s make it so.
Science March III
Why wouldn’t economists march for science? Why do science supporters believe they must insist that economics is a pseudoscience to validate that the so-called hard sciences are precise or predictive. Neither of these are the objectives of science.
23 Ways Big Government Is Hurting the Poor
Advocates for big government often equate expanding government with concern for the poor. But reality speaks to the contrary: Expanding government often has very harmful effects on the poor.
Why Our Coercive System of Schooling Should Topple
I’ve been called a crazy optimist, a Pollyanna, a romantic idealist. How can I believe that our system of compulsory schooling is about to collapse? People point out that in many ways the schooling system is stronger now than ever. It occupies more of children’s time, gobbles up more public funds, employs more people, and is more firmly controlled by government – and at ever-higher levels of government – than has ever been true in the past. So why do I believe it’s going to collapse – slowly at first and then more rapidly – over the next ten years or so? Here are four reasons.
Scared or Tricked into Cheering for Evil
One nice thing about people having actual principles is that fear-mongering, propaganda, false flag stunts, and other manipulative bullshit, doesn’t work on them.