How to Think Critically: Anchoring
I'm pleased to announce the first-ever holiday edition of How to Think Critically. If you're planning to do your Christmas shopping soon, this post might just save you some money! The mental phenomenon...
View ArticleClimbing the Mountain of Atlas Shrugged
As sharp-eyed readers may have noticed from my sidebar, I've decided to take up the challenge of reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged - all 1,074 pages of it, in my softcover edition. Say what you will...
View ArticleUsing Purchasing Power for Good
Since 'tis the season for commercialism, shopping sprees and big-ticket purchases, I thought I'd write a post that I've had in mind for a long time. It's less about atheism per se, more about...
View ArticleWednesday Link Roundup
I may write more about some of these stories over the weekend, but in the meantime, I just had to make quick mention of them: • Prominent evangelical pastor John MacArthur, whom Daylight Atheism...
View ArticleThe Financial Ignorance of Religious Texts
Among the many other prohibitions in the Old Testament, there are several verses that prohibit charging interest on loans (at least to one's fellow Israelites - foreigners are apparently OK to gouge)....
View ArticleThe Looters Win Again
As we all know, Ayn Rand is the greatest genius in the history of the human race, and her book Atlas Shrugged is her highest achievement and therefore the highest achievement of our entire species....
View ArticleOn the Morality of: Investing
I haven't written a post on morality in a while, and this one's a little different than past entries. This is an issue where I haven't made up my mind, and I'm hoping that people's comments can...
View ArticleWeekly Link Roundup
I noticed a few stories this week that I haven't had time to write more about, but wanted to mention briefly: • So-called "psychics" defraud their gullible customers out of thousands of dollars,...
View ArticlePhoto Sunday: Madrid
As I've mentioned, my wife and I took a trip to Spain last month to celebrate our first anniversary. I'm not going to inflict all my vacation photos on you, but we did see some sights that are relevant...
View ArticleTax Breaks for Ignorance
As you doubtless already know, America is suffering through an unprecedented economic disaster. With millions of people jobless and millions of homeowners underwater, the economy is stagnant and its...
View ArticleWeekly Link Roundup
The storm may rage and the winds may howl, but I'm still here! (So far.) Here's a couple of interesting stories I didn't have time to write more about this week: • Following Rick Perry's urgent prayers...
View ArticleBook Review: God, No!
(Author's Note: The following review was solicited and is written in accordance with this site's policy for such reviews.) Summary: Just what you'd expect from its author: outspoken, boisterous, crude,...
View ArticleAtlas Shrugged: The Workers’ Paradise
Atlas Shrugged, part III, chapter I Although the capitalists all going on strike was John Galt’s idea, the valley where they’re hiding out is Midas Mulligan’s possession. This raises some obvious...
View ArticleAtlas Shrugged: The New Feudalism
Atlas Shrugged, part III, chapter II Last time, John Galt told Dagny that because she trespassed in his valley, he’s going to hold her there for a month, just because he wants to. He also tells her...
View ArticleAtlas Shrugged: The Marketplace of Ideas
Atlas Shrugged, part III, chapter II As Dagny’s life in the Gulch settles into a routine, she notices that John Galt leaves the house every other night, returning at midnight or later. Notwithstanding...
View ArticleThe Post-Work Society
Laziness is a good thing. For as long as civilization has existed, people have been trying to live as well as possible with as little work as possible. That drive has created kings and kleptocrats who...
View ArticleAtlas Shrugged: Rise of the Machines
Atlas Shrugged, part III, chapter II For all its fixation on economic theory, Atlas Shrugged shows a dismal, incurious ignorance of how the economy actually works. When Ayn Rand’s capitalists gather in...
View ArticleAtlas Shrugged: Guns and Butter
Atlas Shrugged, part III, chapter III Now that we’ve finished our tour of Galt’s Gulch, we’re back in the outside world with Dagny. From this point on, Atlas Shrugged is less of an...
View ArticleWhat Is the Economy For, Anyway?
Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square on Consumerism Gone Wild. Read other perspectives here. The Guardian ran a column on a group of unsung heroes: the therapists to the...
View ArticleAtlas Shrugged: Kill the Redshirts
Atlas Shrugged, part III, chapter IV While his wife is away, Jim Taggart has a caller. It’s Lillian Rearden, and she’s come to plead for help. Hank is pressing ahead with a divorce, and by means of...
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