You may be wondering, “what could George Washington and the Taliban have in common?” They existed centuries apart. Well, I will add one more, that of ancient Rome and General Fabius. What is common among them is that all three were tasked … [Read more...]
QAnon and the Examined Life
Socrates, you will recall, was sentenced to death for “corrupting the young.” He did this by pointing out the hypocrisy and flawed ideas of those around him. Worse, he did it in such a way as to be immune from the pressures of society. He … [Read more...]
Crisis, What Crisis?
In 1759, Voltaire published the novel Candide, which featured a character Professor Pangloss. Though a great many calamities follow Candide and the Professor in their travels, Professor Pangloss never alters his philosophy of life. Nor does … [Read more...]
Democracy Without Elections
Many years ago I was on a listserv and one of the other members, a priest, suggested that elections should be abolished in favor of drawing straws. At the time, I disagreed vehemently and thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard. … [Read more...]
We must never surrender ….to hypocrisy
In her book Fascism, Madeline Albright dedicates it to all those who fight fascism, “in others, and in themselves.” Hypocrisy is the root of all conflict in the world. It has been characterized in many ways. Orwell called it Doublethink; … [Read more...]