Tag Archives: the Great Ideas

making sense—and loving it

I live a life of ideas. But what does that mean, exactly? Certainly, at a minimum, it means that I like ideas and enjoy exploring them. I read a lot and so you could say that I love reading (and … Continue reading

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Uncle Sam wants you

This morning when I checked my Twitter tab I found this tweet by Jason Pontin, editor of MIT Technology Review magazine: What excites the indignation of people who hate drones: the remoteness of the operator, and the asymmetry in power. … Continue reading

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The Idea of Happiness by V.J. McGill

The Idea of Happiness by V.J. McGill My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book covers the terrain of its philosophical subject, but winds up placing more emphasis on modern social science. Every sentient being wants to be happy and … Continue reading

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the pursuit of happiness

Are you happy? Do you find that question embarrassing? Many of us do. We’re comfortable answering it with respect to some specific, restricted area (“I’m happy with the way the centerpiece works with the tablecloth”), but get progressively less comfortable … Continue reading

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hey! teachers! leave them kids alone!

Ideas matter. I suspect that behind every human conflict or disagreement there is an idea—or more than one idea—at stake, and that in most cases the parties concerned are unaware of it. This means that we argue at cross-purposes, never … Continue reading

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use your words

Right now one of the leading stories in the news is about the impasse over raising the “ceiling” of the American federal debt. It’s turned into a game of political chicken, with the deadline now only four days away, at … Continue reading

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The Great Ideas: A Syntopicon of Great Books of the Western World by Mortimer J. Adler

The Great Ideas A Syntopicon of Great Books of the Western World: I (Great Books of the Western World, #2) by Mortimer J. Adler My rating: 5 of 5 stars The 2-volume “Syntopicon” of Britannica’s Great Books of the Western … Continue reading

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The Great Conversation by Robert M. Hutchins

The Great Conversation: The Substance Of A Liberal Education by Robert Maynard Hutchins My rating: 5 of 5 stars This slim opening volume of the Britannica Great Books of the Western World contends that liberal education, an unquestioned necessity for … Continue reading

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