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We Get Mail: On Ann Coulter; Health Care; Landfills; Seal Hunt; Saving The Universe
Focus On: Science Vs Religion – Part 2
Common Misconceptions About Evolution And Natural Selection
Is Religion Innate? John Macmurray On The Necessity Of Religion
Rules To Live By – Religion, Freedom, Law, State
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The ‘God Spot’ – Looking For God In All The Wrong Places
Faith In Science? Reason In Religion?
John Macmurray On Reality In Science – Reality In Religion
Superstitious Religion – Superstitious Science
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Free Speech, Political Correctness, Human Rights Commissions
Liberal Trends – United States And Canada
Abortion – Right Vs Right Wing
Religious Right / Godless Right – Who’s Right?
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The Pope Vs Capitalism: Two Encyclicals – Caritas In Veritate (2009), Populorum Progressio (1967)
Obama Vs Capitalism
The Public Vs Capitalism
Church And State – Together Again
Religion Vs Morality
The Morality Of Capitalism
Our philosophical journey through love reveals its ancient power as both cosmic unifier and destroyer of reason. From Hesiod’s primordial eros that unnerves gods and men to Plato’s heavenly and earthly forms, where the lover—not the beloved—gains virtue through pursuit of ideal beauty, love emerges as a force that shapes religions, institutions, and governments. Aristotle grounds it ethically and psychologically while linking it to the unmoved mover that later influences Christian concepts of divinity. Judaism and Christianity shift love from irrational passion to a voluntary attitude that can coexist with reason, yet the tension persists: emotion versus rational control.
These insights sharpen our view of today’s battles. Human Rights Commissions weaponize “hate” to silence debate, as seen in complaints against Maclean’s for publishing Mark Steyn, demanding forced publication rather than open rebuttal. City Hall pushes symbolic gestures like Earth Hour, low-flush toilets, and sustainable-energy surveys that treat conservation as virtue while ignoring the need for production, property rights, and expanded energy to meet rising demand. Sentencing inconsistencies expose a justice system more concerned with deterrence messages than individual fairness.
A listener’s thoughtful email on religion and virtue prompts reflection: morality springs from rational codes of behavior, not mere belief or professed faith, echoing Richard Dawkins’ point that religion deserves no special immunity from criticism. Comedy clips and external voices underscore the absurdities without becoming endorsements.
Reason prevails when passions earn their place and facts trump fear. That balance is Just Right.
Media distortions demand our scrutiny, particularly when a London Free Press headline touts a teen activist’s dedication to peace while the story reveals a campaign against military recruitment lacking balance or substance. Such coverage polarizes falsely, conceals counterarguments, and leaves readers chasing details online.
Marc Emery’s defiance against prohibition laws grips our attention amid his tentative plea with American authorities. Karen Selick analyzes the pressures, jurisdictional puzzles, and his targeting for effective activism rather than mere commerce. His candor stands in stark contrast to the underground trade, raising questions of political persecution and heroic resolve in challenging state power.
Critics assail the new atheism of figures like Richard Dawkins as intellectual totalitarianism, yet overlook how books advance ideas through persuasion alone. Surveys claiming believers embrace virtues more deeply invite examination, for many qualities listed represent values or even potential vices absent true moral anchors like justice and reason. Atheism signals absence, not dogma, underscoring rationality’s role.
These explorations of media, activism, faith and morality expose vital tensions in liberty and thought that strike just right.
Reality anchors thinking far more securely than chasing abstract truth ever could. Philosophers from Plato onward demonstrate how easily fixed doctrines detach from evidence, producing rigid positions that ignore contradictory facts. John Macmurray’s insight captures this perfectly: real thought welcomes revision as experience demands it.
Government overreach reveals similar unreality in public debates. Taser controversies fixate on the device’s “safety” rather than proper use and policy. Car regulations escalate the pattern—bans on smoking with children, mandatory seatbelts, even airbag mandates that carry hidden lethal risks in certain crashes. Statistics show airbags save lives yet also claim others, particularly when deployed improperly. Mandating such devices overrides personal choice under the guise of protection.
Pope Benedict’s encyclical challenges modern Christianity’s emphasis on individual salvation, contrasting it with earlier communal approaches. This critique echoes collectivist themes that downplay independent reason. Hope, too, comes under scrutiny—when it substitutes for action, it paralyzes rather than empowers.
Japan’s robotics surge offers a forward-looking contrast, with Toyota and Honda developing humanoid machines for everyday assistance. These innovations highlight economic and technological shifts worth watching closely.
Exploring these intersections of philosophy, policy, and progress proves consistently illuminating and just right.