In a down economy, dominated by repeatedly looming government shutdowns and budget cuts, the question is generally whether governments should cut spending or rather invest more. You would think that, […]
Read moreAuthor: Peter A. Dykstra
When politics and law are obsolete
There are many standards by which we may measure civilization. Aside from the formal definition of what constitutes a civilization (as described on Wikipedia: a community which combines “three basic […]
Read moreHysteria – or: Evolving beyond morality
Morality makes stupid.– Custom represents the experiences of men of earlier times as to what they supposed useful and harmful – but the sense for custom (morality) applies, not to […]
Read moreFairytales for adults
Although he’s just two days old, we can already say that it’s highly likely that England’s young prince will one day be wealthier, more powerful and more influential than at […]
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The search for morals in logic
After my last blog, God is not the issue, a commenter asked the question: can we derive morality from knowledge? An interesting point, and if I may interpret “knowledge” as […]
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Living without Dogma
We are taught we need school, and preferably college, to prepare us for ‘the real world’. We are taught we need a steady job, and we need a mortgaged house. […]
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Ten pro-monarchy arguments debunked
The crowning of a new king should be a reason like no other to talk about the institution of monarchy and its place (if it has any) in modern-day society. […]
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Billionaire puppet show
Yesterday was the last Queen’s Day in The Netherlands, for that was when Queen Beatrix abdicated and her son Willem-Alexander became king. Although the minority opposing monarchy seems to be […]
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Religion: time to grow up
Pope Benedict XVI has finished his last day at the Vatican – the first pope since 1415 to resign his papacy rather than remaining pope until death. There has been […]
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