Thuce Seven
If you want to talk about effectiveness you have to define the parameters of success. What makes a legislature effective? Congress isn't supposed to respond to every whim of the people, there is some lethargy and unresponsiveness purposely built into the institution. Read More
I would argue that we are all a lot more alike than most people think. True, there are superficial differences such as where you grew up, what kind of things you spend your time doing, but ultimately we are all part of the same species and share an enormous amount in common. I'm not saying that ... Read More
I'm not someone who thinks that there is anything particularly special about the era we live in, except for the fact that as a species this is the oldest we've ever been. However I do think there is something inevitable about where we're going, that it is not all just relative and that it is not ... Read More
I think meaning can only be bestowed on us by the thing that put us here. If you craft a toy soldier it is not up to the soldier to decide it's purpose, but you as its creator to decide whether to give him away as a gift or put him on the shelf or whatever you deem worthy. I believe that just as the ... Read More
I am not a lawyer, but doess't the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution (Article IV Section 1) require that states respect contracts protected by other states? Does that mean that a same sex marriage in Vermont has to be respected as lawful in Texas? Read More
If everyone lived each day as though it were their last society would break down in a matter of days. This may seem like a harsh indictment of human nature but it's happened before in history - for example in between bouts of the bubonic plague in Europe, many people had lost their entire families ... Read More
I had considered what it meant for my argument that not everyone has children. I admit that I am a materialist - in the sense that only material things exist - and that the afterlife or any other metaphysical factors did not enter into my considerations. As for homosexuality - and I would argue that ... Read More
I think the point is that the legislature is the legislators. If the exact same 250 year old senators and representatives occupied the house today, I would agree that an update would be appropriate. However, the structure of the legislature is flexible enough that it is still relevant. Read More
economics is the study of the decision making process that underlies the allocation of scarce resources in the face of unlimited wants Read More
Why are we telling Iran that nuclear weapons in their hands would be unacceptable? They are a sovereign nation, they can do what they want. What becomes an issue is when they start talking about using one against another sovereign nation, and that is what we should be addressing, but to simply ... Read More
I agree, I just started working and the idea of saving for a retirement that will happen in 45 years seems ridiculous. No one has any idea what the financial or political landscape will look like in 50 years. A 1950 dollar is worth about 12 cents today! Sure I will be able to take advantage of ... Read More
Any organization can only be effective in relation to an objective. Non-profits and for-profits usually have different objectives and it is thus difficult to compare their effectiveness. If you are talking more generally of effectiveness and efficiency in terms of non-profits vs for-profits I would ... Read More
Diversity is not necessarily a good thing in itself. Diversity of thought is probably a good thing, whether it's in a university or corporate setting and that's probably what they are referring to when they say they value "diversity." However, a diversity of skin color is NOT a diversity of thought ... Read More
Let's not forget that this era of cooperation and peace in Europe has only been around for about 60 years, virtually nothing in the context of human history. It may seem implausible to us now that the current world order should ever be upturned, just as it seemed utterly implausible to the average ... Read More
Human rights are immutable. They don't change depending on whether it's raining or not, or whether your clan has enough arable land this year. Saying that climate change is responsible for 200,000 deaths in Sudan is a perverse way to frame the issue and implicitly absolves the murderers of their ... Read More
I would contend that there are only a couple entities on the planet that would have access to anywhere near the resources we need to do this - USA, China maybe? Russia? And the problem is that it's not really of any discernible benefit to any of these organizations to pursue a project like that. I'm ... Read More
The question is: if you had 90 days left to live, what would you do? The answer to this question is telling of a person's priorities in life and what they consider innately good, an ends in itself rather than a means to some goal to be achieved in the future. If you had 90 days left, would you stay ... Read More
William Thompson proposes an overhaul of the legislature which he contends is predicated upon an outmoded conception of the functioning of the human mind. This idea presupposes that the purpose of legislature's design is to replicate the process of human thought. I would contend that the division ... Read More
Innumerable benefits accrue to one who chooses to enter into society as opposed to living a solitary life. These benefits include security and companionship, but most importantly it allows us to reap the benefits of comparative advantage. That is, John is a good basket weaver, Sarah is a good farmer ... Read More
Do you think this project will create the revolution in education in the developing world that the progenitors of this project expect and hope for? Read More