Monthly Archives: May 2009

Religion and rights

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

A review of a new book by Simon Schama about American culture makes the usual argument that religion, not Enlightenment values, was responsible for abolishing slavery and expanding civil rights for blacks: The main weapon in both the fight against … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Richard Posner on the deterioration of the conservative movement

Posted on May 12, 2009 by David Hume

Out of curiosity, what do readers think about Richard Posner’s Is the Conservative Movement Losing Steam? I am personally sympathetic to Posner-style technocrats, but lack a “long view” that older individuals might have in regards to the evolution of American … Continue reading →

Posted in law, politics | Tagged | 119 Comments

Politics as personal disposition

Posted on May 7, 2009 by David Hume

Will Wilkinson has a post up, The Caveman Roots of Liberal Democracy?, which riffed off some opinions in regards to the swing back toward “primal” values which I perceive to be the norm in modern liberal societies. Some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics, science | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Regional differences in attitudes toward gay marriage

Posted on May 5, 2009 by David Hume

It looks like both Maine & New Hampshire will be taking steps toward recognizing gay marriage. If that happens only Rhode Island in New England will not recognize gay marriage. It also looks like there will be movement in New … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

Mary avoids consubstantiation with a tortilla

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

The Virgin Mary has been spotted in a California restaurant griddle, which has since been retired from use and turned into a shrine.  No word yet from the Church about the authenticity of the sighting, though a local associate pastor … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 36 Comments

Gay marriage and unintended consequences

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

The biggest social problem in the U.S. today is the crime and academic achievement gap between blacks and whites. The academic achievement gap (several grade levels and 200 SAT points (old system)) distorts our pedagogy, academic hiring and admissions, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 245 Comments

Back to the Paleolithic

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Bradlaugh

Thanks to Mr. Stuttaford & Mr. Hume for their responses. A few points at random. •  (1) Is conservatism coextensive with libertarianism? You’d think so from reading the exchanges here. However, it seems to me there ought to be political room … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics, Uncategorized | 51 Comments

Change does not always march in one direction

Posted on May 4, 2009 by David Hume

Over the past few days we have had some discussion on this weblog about the marriage of individuals of the same sex from different vantage points. As an empirical matter I think Andrew Stuttaford is correct to predict that this … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , | 36 Comments

The Gay Marriage Thing

Posted on May 3, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

Goodness, John, talk about jumping into a minefield… Anyway, FWIW, here are my two cents. To start with, it’s worth saying that if anyone had asked me for my views on gay marriage a decade or so ago, I would … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 45 Comments

The Search for Transcendence, or Whatever

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

The New York Times is running a piece today by Charles Blow in which he asks why so many of the children of the “religiously unaffiliated” turn to religion. It’s a mildly interesting question, but the answer is straightforward: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 40 Comments