Philosophy

Although some conservatives claim to defend limited government and individual liberty, conservatives in fact fail to defend these values consistently. The reason is that conservatives share with their leftist “opponents” a commitment to the morality of self-sacrifice. Take a recent example. In her article for the Heritage Foundation, “How to…

[caption id="attachment_10286" align="alignright" width="300"] Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Listen to the mp3 audio of this post. Google the phrases “greater than yourself,” “larger than yourself,” and “bigger than yourself,” and you will find millions of related links. We all know the refrain (and its variants): “Live for a cause greater than yourself.”…

Eating at fast food restaurants causes weight gain, right? Didn’t Morgan Spurlock show this in his 2004 documentary Super Size Me, in which he ate only at McDonald’s for thirty days and gained twenty-five pounds as a result? Not so fast. As reported by KCCI News, high school science teacher…

[Click for a PDF of the full chart] Human action, whether by individuals, groups, or governments, is driven by ideas—most substantially by the ideas people accept as morally correct. Why did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her bus seat to a white passenger? Why did Edward Snowden release classified…

Recently Bill O’Reilly interviewed Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress about the alleged “War on Christmas” and “War on Christianity.” Jeffress said: [T]he war on Christmas is real, but, Bill, it’s a part of a larger war against Christianity that's being waged around the world. And, yeah it’s true, we…

The A&E cable network recently suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson for his ignorant tirade on the alleged sinfulness of homosexuality: It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to…

In this episode of Reason at Large, Craig Biddle answers a question from Kyle: "What is the moral status of homosexuality? Is it moral, immoral or neutral? And why are some people gay? Is sexual orientation inborn or a choice or what?" In answering, Biddle explains that sexual orientation per…

Carri and Larry Williams recently were sentenced for assaulting their deaf adopted son and killing their adopted daughter, Hana, while obeying their religion’s dictates on child discipline. The Williams followed the commands regarding corporal punishment found in the Bible (e.g., Proverbs 13:24, 22:15) and advocated in Michael and Debi Pearl’s…

Recently actor Matthew McConaughey, speaking of his desire to “evolve” as an actor and make more interesting films, shared his perspective on selfishness with GQ: I got much more selfish. I'm a fan of the word selfish. Self. Ish. When I say I have gotten a lot more self-ish, I…

The theocratic regime in Saudi Arabia is an enemy of reason and human life on multiple counts, not the least of which is its constant effort to spread Islam across the globe and to destroy America and Israel by funding mosques and schools that “educate” children about the evil of…