James Madison wrote that when a nation follows the “dictates of conscience,” a free people remain free. What then happens when conscience, a social guardrail for such things as capitalism, dissolves?
According to two editors at the Economist, there have been three revolutions in Western government. They believe we’re due for a fourth. Similarly, there have been three revolutions in economics since the late 19th century. Are we due for a fourth?
When did people begin to consider capitalism crooked? The idea of capitalism is as old as Genesis. Its institutions date from the early Middle Ages. They kept capitalists steering a middle course. It wasn’t until capitalism’s social guardrails dissolved that capitalism veered off course. When did that happen?
The Renaissance humanist Erasmus once said, “He does not sail badly who steers a middle course.” Timely advice. The three reigning Western models of economics are off course. What does a middle course look like? Lord Moulton described it in 1921.
Americans celebrate Independence Day this Friday. But July 4th also marks the passing of three Presidents – Jefferson and Adams in 1826; Monroe in 1831. More importantly, all three died happy for having reconciled what had been severed friendships.
What’s with those bathroom signs reminding employees to wash their hands? How many do it? Not many writes Stephen Dubner, co-author of Think Like a Freak. His research agrees with scripture (as well as science) regarding why the signs don’t work.
There’s no American Revolution, Constitution, or Great Experiment without the founding fathers. Now two editors at the Economist are forecasting a revolution similar to the Victorian Age. But they overlook the Victorian Age’s founding fathers.
C. S. Lewis and Iain McGilchrist both see metaphor as how we make sense of life. It’s primary. They also agree the Enlightenment overthrew metaphor. These are two of the four ways they parallel one another. Here’s two more ways Lewis and McGilchrist are on the right side of history.
C. S. Lewis would likely have appreciated Iain McGilchrist. A psychiatrist with extensive research in neuroimaging, McGilchrist believes metaphor is how we make sense of life. Lewis would have agreed. In fact, there at least four ways they are on the right side of history.
There’s precious little remembrance on Memorial Day. For most Americans, it’s a vacation day – barbecue, boating, and beaches. These aren’t bad, but if they’re all there is, Americans are testimony to what Emily Dickinson called the amputated hand.
Those who can’t, teach. It’s an old joke, but judging the outcomes of most college courses and programs on “entrepreneurship,” there’s little to laugh about.
As the story goes, the Emperor Augustus one day spotted a man from the provinces who looked much like himself. He asked if the man’s mother had ever worked in the palace. ‘No.’ came the reply, ‘but my father did.’ Augustus laughed – a reminder that a sense of humor makes rulers wise, court jesters winsome, and innovation work.
Up is considered one of Pixar’s most emotionally rich films. Yet the final version is quite different than the first. It’s the result of Pixar’s culture. It recognizes a weakness in human nature – we’re often too quick to imagine how a story is going to turn out.
The Dayton Flyers were the fan favorite in this year’s March Madness. Unranked, they upset three highly regarded teams by dictating the tempo of the game. That’s a strategy the faith community might want to consider.
There are supposedly only six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. Whether this is so is open to debate, but there’s little debate that scripture describes only three degrees of separation. And they’re not from Kevin Bacon.