By Steven Greenhut, Reason, November 29, 2024.
excerpt:
The progressive movement is best known for interfering with everything and trying to oust us. But instead of clinging to the idea of freedom, the MAGA movement decides to align itself with its enemies, rally people around their cultural tribes, and join in all the fun of regulating, mocking, and inciting the American people. did.
The result is a never-ending battle of grudges in which the victorious side uses the government to stick with the other side. There are exceptions, such as President Trump’s promise to cut federal agencies (which we’ve heard many times before, but doesn’t really do anything), but overall it’s a worrying development.
DRH Comment: Please remove me from the grudge match. If they want to talk, I will continue to talk to both sides and continue to be friendly (as if there were only two sides).
By Veronique de Rugy, Reason, November 29, 2024.
excerpt:
Over the past few decades, Congress has transformed the constitutional “power of the purse” from an instrument of responsible governance to an instrument of fiscal destruction. The most telling sign is that the national debt just passed the $36 trillion threshold, just three months after reaching $35 trillion. This is nuts. This year’s budget deficit is $1.9 trillion, rising to $2.8 trillion in 10 years. Instead of practicing careful budgeting and oversight, Congress has repeatedly relied on large omnibus spending bills, often passed in haste without proper review.
Notes on human resource development:
I especially liked Vero’s opening line.
America’s greatness lies not in perfection, but in the relentless pursuit of it. For nearly 250 years, this nation has strived to fully realize the revolutionary ideals set forth in its founding documents. We often fail, but our capacity for self-reflection and renewal inspires hope and encourages improvement.
why? Two words. The words I often say don’t belong in discussions about government, but I think they belong here. It’s the words “we” and “our.” Veronique, who moved here from France, clearly considers herself an American. I moved here from Canada and consider myself an American. So “we” and “our” have special meaning to me.
By Matt Zwolinski, Reason, January 2025.
The central idea of the book is that, to put the sophisticated argument a little rougher, philosophers have messed us all up. According to Hasnath, philosophers tend to place too much emphasis on constructing logically coherent systems of thought, moving from premises to conclusion in a neat and orderly sequence. If logic sets a standard and the world does not meet that standard, that is the world’s problem, not ours.
For Hasnath, by contrast, thinking about politics begins not with moral theory but with the actual conflicts that people face as they grapple with the difficult task of living together in communities. Justice is not something that is first identified by philosophical reason and then applied (by the lower mind) to resolve specific conflicts. Justice develops from these conflicts as a new phenomenon, often in ways neither foreseen nor intended by those directly involved.
The test of a theory of justice in this approach is not logical consistency or completeness. To ask this of justice is to ask for much, and for more than is necessary. There is no need for a hermetic theory. All we need are rules to end conflict and allow people to coexist peacefully.
By Jeffrey Miller, The Nerve, November 20, 2024.
excerpt:
Let’s take China as an example. The Western stereotype is that China is a country of totalitarian mind control, so Chinese universities must be a wasteland of intellectual conformity compared to American universities, right? In my experience, the opposite is true.
I usually teach psychology at a large state university in the United States. However, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic (2021-2022), I ended up teaching three online classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-SZ). This is a new English-selective university located in Shenzhen, a prosperous small town of 18 million people that has become China’s technology capital.
I encountered an amazing level of academic freedom and tolerance.
To be sure, there are some political taboos in Chinese universities. Each department has a political officer from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who monitors course content and monitors for overt criticism of the Chinese Communist Party or President Xi Jinping, or the promotion of unacceptable views on Tibet, Taiwan, or Tiananmen Square. are. We all know what those particular taboos are and what some boundaries are that shouldn’t be crossed.
But beyond that, I encountered an amazing level of academic freedom and tolerance. I really tried to push the envelope to see how Chinese students and administrators would react. Apart from my online lectures, there is a lively discussion forum every week where students express their opinions, critique lectures, assign readings, discuss with each other, and provide links to articles, videos, memes, and news items. shared.
DRH Comment: Not to brag, but I wonder if Professor Miller would have the same degree of academic freedom if he were physically teaching in China.
