“No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.” ~ Ansel Adams How does unschooling actually work? What does it really look like? How do children learn without being…
Tag: society
Random Ideas
Can we say yet that neither direct gun control nor background checks have made any difference? Isn’t the definition of madness to keep doing the same things, while expecting different results?
Conservative or Liberal?, Guns, Feminism, & Quitting Things (34m) – Editor’s Break 062
Editor’s Break 062 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: having a foundation in principle, whether he’s a conservative or a liberal, the importance of disarming society toward an authoritarian agenda, what feminism is and if he wears that label, childism, why we quit things and why the desire for children to quit things should be respected, and more.
Against Argumentative Definitions: The Case of Feminism
What would a non-argumentative definition of feminism look like? Ideally, feminists, non-feminists, and anti-feminists could all endorse it. If that’s asking too much, all these groups should at least be able to accept the proposed definition as a rough approximation of the position they affirm or deny.
Is Education Worth It? My Opening Statement
Is the education system really a waste of time and money, as my new book claims right on the cover? This is a strange topic to debate with Eric Hanushek. Why? Because if Hanushek had absolute power to fix the education system, education might actually be worth every penny. Hanushek is famous for focusing on what schools teach rather than what they spend – and documenting the vast disconnect between the two. If you haven’t already read his dissection of “input-based education policies,” you really ought to. Hanushek, more than any other economist, has taught us that measured literacy and numeracy are socially valuable – but just making kids spend long years in well-funded schools is not.
Umbridge Galore
One type of statist wants to protect society from some liberties, while other statists want to protect society from the other liberties. Until there is no liberty left– and the moralizing bullies still will never be content. It’s never enough for them.
DeFOOing, Increasing Costs to Crime, & Archation (17m) – Editor’s Break 061
Editor’s Break 061 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following topics: what DeFOOing is and whether or not its an ethical practice, why increasing the costs to criminal behavior is a necessary component of keeping society safe, and what “archation” is all about.
“Peace Through Strength” Is a Racket
“I’m going to make our military so big, so powerful, so strong, that nobody — absolutely nobody — is gonna to mess with us,” Trump says. On other occasions he’s said similar things: “We want to defer, avoid and prevent conflict through our unquestioned military strength” (same link) and, a year ago, “Nobody is going to mess with us. Nobody. It will be one of the greatest military build-ups in American history.”
The Transition from Slavery to Freedom
I sometimes hear people, including freedom advocates, pondering how society might “transition” from an authoritarian system to a stateless society. The implication is that there could be some sort of gradual, peaceful phasing in of freedom, and a phasing out of governmental controls. But that is not how things works, and not how things will ever work.
Fear of Modernity and Progress?
The contention, held by many libertarians, of expertise isn’t in the accruement of specialized knowledge by dedicated and brilliant individuals. The contention lies in the contemporary social belief that these individuals knowledge shouldn’t just be a tool in our choices to refine ourselves, our lives, our companies, our products, and our world around us, but rather unquestionable truth with overt or covert implications on social norms and government policy.