Everybody is Crazy

Hurricanes, Mandates, and the Ethics of Rescue

The urge to humanitarian response is always a driving force in government response -- but often come into conflict with an individual's autonomy, and calls into question how far such aid in the form of mandates can reasonably extend, and what happens when you cross that line.

Internecine: Our Dangerous Misunderstandings of Revolution

Revolution, riot, and uprising may be understood from the view of the "righteous" victor or the "downtrodden" loser, the "steadfast" military or the "courageous" rebel. Depending on your view of a given conflict, it's easy to read lessons in the outcome that may not actually be present -- and more dangerously, to apply these lessons to potential future conflicts.
Here, we analyze the ups and downs of internecine struggle both modern and ancient, to see if there is a lesson to be gleaned;.

The Moral and the Practical: Choosing Sides on Political Progress

All law and governance is understood as a tradeoff between freedom and communal responsibility. Yet the question of where to place the dividing line, how far to extend this tradeoff, lies at the root of some of our most contentious issues.
When we look at the history and various manifestations of this choice, it becomes evident there is no one settled answer -- and that dynamism in itself demonstrates an answer of a different kind.

Why This? One Question to Preclude Media Bias

In the crowded, fractured news media, every outlet has its audience, and controls not only the angle, but the actual events represented to its audience.
The further the wings of politics draw apart, the further media outlets do the same, leaving little common basis within reporting. An individual comes to view their favored media as the only real outlets, and discussion is stymied.
We can, however, resolve this issue: it starts by asking one simple question.

Opinion's Gate: Credence to Truth

Opinion does not require evidence, but opinion without evidence has no merit.
Having found evidence, if you choose to reject it, not in challenge of the evidence but in challenge of being denied, then truth is left behind. Your mind has no relation to reality on the topic, and the opinion can be disregarded by any observer.
It is critical that as a society we do not give credence to opinions -- of our own or of others -- which have nothing to contribute in the manner of evidence.

Vaccine in Context: The Rational Approach

COVID is a killer. So is the vaccine, to some degree. We're still learning more about each one with every passing day, but the more information that gets learned the more questions arise -- and yet debate is often discouraged, as it often tangents onto conspiracy. Where does the line get drawn?
Link to CDC study referenced in audio: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7008e3.htm

The Surprising Impact of Personal Accountability

Personal accountability acts beyond simple responsibility towards the self; it suffuses into the surrounding community, and foments change in the social dialogue with surprising impact. The balance of accountability must remain a debated question, but a culture which quibbles over the very ownership of responsibility invites conflict.
Here, we use a recent example of conflict and justifiable outrage to demonstrate how a small change in delegating responsibility may lead to an outsize impact.

The Collapse of Society -- and What's Holding it at Bay

For all of modern society's fragility, and reliance on a few vulnerable fracture points, there is also an underlying strength and resilience. Over many centuries we have learned how to adopt a system of selfishness that benefits all -- imperfect, but effective.
It's a popular pastime to predict the fall of society, and while someday all empires fail, the truth is that society is more difficult to displace than it seems, which is why so many such predictions fail -- great news, really.

Off to War? Not Zero Sum

"America's unending wars" v.s. "Defending freedom around the world. Depending who you ask, the US military is either reinforcing a vicious cycle of instability and death, or working tirelessly to build a better world. It seems there's little crossover between these viewpoints -- but a little scrutiny goes a long way towards finding a realistic middle ground.

This Thanksgiving, We've Found a New Way to Hate Each Other (Thanks, Media)

Antagonistic reporting seems to have proven far better at generating ad revenue than factual reporting, but it's not doing anyone any favors.