Author Archives: David Hume

Living by the Book

Posted on August 11, 2012 by David Hume

Whether that book is the Koran, the Bible, or Das Kapital, engineering societies based on books of principles can lead to ludicrous ‘solutions.’ Rationalism gone amok can seem hilarious, if not tragic. Saudi Arabia is organized around the theories of … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy | Tagged | 4 Comments

My article on conservatism in Free Inquiry

Posted on August 11, 2012 by David Hume

I should announce it somewhere on the web, and this is the best place I can think of. In one of the fall issues of Free Inquiry (probably the one right before the election, so October) I will be making the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences | Tagged | 1 Comment

American loons

Posted on August 9, 2012 by David Hume

My friends often wonder why I identify as a conservative in light of the existence of loons such as Pat Robertson. The problem from where I stand is that lunacy is found to your Left and your Right. My friends … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged | 13 Comments

The Islamic Reformation

Posted on July 7, 2012 by David Hume

In the wake of 9/11 there was a lot of talk about an “Islamic Reformation.” Such discussion was a key pointer to elite and public ignorance about the exact nature of the Reformation. On the one hand, the Reformation did … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | Tagged | 1 Comment

Balancing policies

Posted on July 4, 2012 by David Hume

I don’t follow day-to-day politics with much zest. But some are speculating that John Roberts’ tortured ruling in favor of ObamaCare may pave the way for overturning the Voting Rights Act and affirmative action. If true, what do people think … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Putting away childish things

Posted on July 3, 2012 by David Hume

CPAC’s boy wonder swings left: “I think it was naive,” Krohn now says of the speech. “It’s a 13-year-old kid saying stuff that he had heard for a long time.… I live in Georgia. We’re inundated with conservative talk in … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged | 4 Comments

One must sometimes be wrong to ever be right

Posted on May 29, 2012 by David Hume

National Review has a piece up, The Party of Civil Rights. In it Kevin D. Williamson makes the case that everything you thought you knew about the relationship of the Democrats and Republicans to Civil Rights is wrong. There is … Continue reading →

Posted in philosophy, politics | Tagged | 21 Comments

Embrace doubt, reject certitude, and move past moral smugness

Posted on May 28, 2012 by David Hume

Noah Millman has a post up at The American Conservative, What Has Christianity To Do With Human Rights? He is responding to a conversation at the heart of which is Ross Douthat, who is making singular claims for the grounding … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged | Comments Off on Embrace doubt, reject certitude, and move past moral smugness

Sasha Baron Cohen and the implicit hecker’s veto

Posted on May 25, 2012 by David Hume

An interview of Sasha Baron Cohen on NPR: GROSS: One of the things you stay away from in “The Dictator” is religion. We don’t know if this dictator is Muslim. There’s no mention of Islam, there’s no mention of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Comments, themes, etc.

Posted on May 1, 2012 by David Hume

A reader brought it to my attention that on Chrome/Firefox the new theme was forcing registration. That was not the setting in WordPress, but the caprice of the theme. An issue I did not notice because I am always registered. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Comments, themes, etc.