Rape is among the most horrific of crimes. Sex should be a fun and beautiful thing — but rape takes that most personal of experiences and turns it into a degradation. There is moderately good news about the number of rapes in the USA. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the rape rate has […]
Campus sex and the anti-sexiness of the new authoritarians [Good Life series] Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “What happens when you mix politics, bathrooms, and sexuality? Let the joking begin. “A politician walks into a transgender bar. [Fill in the blank here.] Afterwards, he tries to explain: “I really only wanted to use the bathroom.” “Ha ha. But the serious business is the busybody
Whose Bathroom Is It, Anyway? [new The Good Life column] Read More »
First, some good news about the 1970s Love Canal environmental disaster in New York: long-term studies have shown no increase in rates of cancer or birth defects among the area’s residents. That’s welcome news, even though toxic chemicals were released into the environment, homeowners were frightened, dislocated, and suffered large losses of property value. Now
The Love Canal Environmental Disaster — Four Decades Later [Good Life series] Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Beware the compromisers — a lesson from this generation’s history. “In 1998, President Bill Clinton announced: “We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say Government is the problem and those who say Government is the solution. My fellow Americans, we have found a Third
Third-Way Politics and Its Bitter Fruits [new The Good Life column] Read More »
[Originally published at EveryJoe.com.] Let me brag a bit. In high school I was a pretty good at tennis. Now, many years later, I am an occasional weekend player who has somehow acquired the stamina (and the knees) of a middle-aged man. But I still have this recurring fantasy that I will play against the
Is Life Unfair? My Challenge to the Best Tennis Player in the World [The Good Life] Read More »
The opening of my latest column at EveryJoe: “Educating a child is a hugely philosophical project. How does one become a fully-functional adult with a zest for all that life has to offer — and acquire the knowledge, skills and habits to pursue it? “Homework, traditionally conceived, is not part of the answer. And when
Against Homework [new The Good Life column] Read More »
Two sex scandals in philosophy departments have, well, scandalized the academic world recently. One at the University of Miami in Florida led to the resignation of professor Colin McGinn. The other, at the University of Colorado, Boulder resulted in the removal of the department chair, Graeme Forbes. Professor McGinn’s case was about a series of
When Can Professors Have Sex with Their Students? [Good Life series] Read More »
[First published at EveryJoe.com.] You might not think of yourself as wealthy. Let me prove that you are. In 1836, the richest man in the world was Nathan Rothschild. He was 58 years old and, according to a medical check-up at the beginning of the year, in good condition for a man of his age.
The Richest Man in the World’s Healthcare [The Good Life] Read More »