Over at TCS Daily, Arnold Kling debunks 5 myths surrounding George W. Bush’s presidency: Bush lost in 2000 Bush economic poliices were disastrous Bush was too right-wing Bush was too partisan Iraq reflects Bush’s personality Then he concludes: I think that many people are tired of the bitterness and partisanship of the Bush era. My main point, however, is that people over-estimate the extent to which this bitterness and partisanship is due to George Bush himself. My prediction is that we will see further bitterness in the years ahead, as the sore losers of 2000 and 2004 become the sore … Continue reading “Myths and Realities of the George Bush Presidency”

In "Understanding the ‘Want’ vs. ‘Should’ Decision," Todd Rogers and Katy Milkman make this interesting comment about how should and want related to our long-term and short-term interests: People often behave as if they possess multiple selves with different, competing interests. We call 2 of these metaphorical selves the "want-self" and the "should-self." The want-self is myopic and desires instant gratification. If left to its own devices, the want-self would always act on immediate, visceral desires (e.g., spending instead of saving money, eating junk food instead of health food). The should-self, on the other hand, prefers to behave in a … Continue reading Wants vs. Shoulds

A few months ago, Francis J. Beckwith–former president of the Evangelical Theological Society–converted to Roman Catholicism. One of his stated reasons was the seeming inadequacy of the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith. "As an evangelical, even when I talked about sanctification and wanted to practice it, it seemed as if I didn’t have a good enough incentive to do so," Beckwith told Christianity Today. "Now [in Catholicism] there’s a kind of theological framework, and it doesn’t say my salvation depends on me, but it says my virtue counts for something." In "Virtue that Counts," the editors of Christianity Today … Continue reading “Virtue that Counts”

Peter Berkowtiz wrote an excellent review of Christopher Hitchens’s God Is Not Great in today’s Wall Street Journal. Read the whole thing, but here are the concluding paragraphs: In making his case that reason must regard faith as an enemy to be wiped out, Mr. Hitchens declares Socrates’s teaching that knowledge consists in knowing one’s ignorance to be "the definition of an educated person." And yet Mr. Hitchens shows no awareness that his atheism, far from resulting from skeptical inquiry, is the rigidly dogmatic premise from which his inquiries proceed, and that it colors all his observations and determines his … Continue reading The Dogmatism of the New New Atheism

From the conclusion of a speech by President Calvin Coolidge commemorating the 150th anniversary of American independence: Our forefathers came to certain conclusions and decided upon certain courses of action which have been a great blessing to the world. Before we can understand their conclusions we must go back and review the course which they followed. We must think the thoughts which they thought. Their intellectual life centered around the meeting-house. They were intent upon religious worship. While there were always among them men of deep learning, and later those who had comparatively large possessions, the mind of the people … Continue reading Calvin Coolidge on the 4th of July

Over the past three weeks, on the First Things website, Michael Novak has posted an impressive series of rebuttals to progressive religious critiques of the American economy. "Christian Socialism Is Dead! Long Live Christian Anti-Capitalism!" makes the supply-side economic case for low taxes. "Religion and Economics, Again" examines the claim that the top 1% of American have increased their income. "Religion and Economics III: The Hoary Objections to Capitalism" rebuts recycled criticisms of capitalism based on energy consumption, income inequality, and globalization. Each of these rebuttals is well worth reading. Continue reading Michael Novak Rebuts Progressive Religious Critiques of Capitalism

The Barna Group released a new study of atheists and agnostics in America that is well worth reading, especially for what it reveals about the "no faith" commitment of younger Americans. Here are the opening paragaphs: A new evangelistic movement has emerged in America. Yet this effort does not spring from those loyal to a particular faith or religious view. The new evangelists are atheists. People who have determined there is no God or who doubt his existence (a group commonly known as agnostics) are adopting a more aggressive, intentional effort to discredit the notion that God exists and to … Continue reading Atheists and Agnostics in America