Wendell Hoenir's Articles
Philosophy, Science & Technology
Evolutionary Theory and the Global Warming Hypothesis: A World (of Evidence) Apart
Wendell Hoenir March 18, 2010
A recent story in the New York Times draws attention to recent legislative attempts by creationists to force public schools to “teach the controversy” between evolution and creationism, and between the man-made global warming hypothesis and criticisms of it. Two recent developments have pushed the creationists to draw parallels between…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy
Virtue and the Realization of Human Life: Response to Roderick Long on Ayn Rand
Wendell Hoenir February 3, 2010
In my last post, I responded to Will Wilkinson's allegation that Ayn Rand's ethical egoism cannot support the principle of individual rights, because the egoist has no self-interested reason to refrain from using force against others. Wilkinson contended that bureaucrats who feast at the public trough seem to fulfill their…
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Force versus Egoism and Happiness: Response to Will Wilkinson on Ayn Rand
Wendell Hoenir January 25, 2010
Commenting on the recent revival of interest in Ayn Rand, libertarian blogger Will Wilkinson recently asserted that while "Rand's emphasis on the role of individual rights in generating creativity and entrepreneurial effort remains enlightening," her moral justification for individual rights fails. Wilkinson, himself a former Ayn Rand enthusiast who became…
History, Philosophy, Science & Technology
The Missile Gap and the Morality Gap
Wendell Hoenir January 21, 2010
In my post about the contradiction between the technological sophistication of the Burj Dubai and the primitive superstition on display in the mosque at its pinnacle, I argued that this disparity is another example of the general disparity in progress between science and morality. But what accounts for this gap?…
Philosophy, Science & Technology
The Towering Contradiction
Wendell Hoenir January 18, 2010
[caption id="attachment_33190" align="alignright" width="300"] Image: Petter Palander[/caption] The beginning of the new year and decade bore witness to the opening of the world's newest tallest building: the Burj Dubai in the UAE. Like many other commentators, Landon Thomas of the New York Times noted the dire economic situation Dubai faces…