Before the 19th century, the idea that animals should have rights was laughable. But throughout the century, movements that had their basis in humanitarianism and romanticism led to the protection of animals. Vivisection was banned, so was any form of animal cruelty. The idea was the animals were conscious, and experienced pain. Vegetarianism In the … Read more
The Venezuelan politician Juan Pérez Alfonzo said, “Oil is the devil’s excrement.” A country can be cursed by natural resources because they concentrate power and wealth in the hands of whoever monopolizes them. Usually, this is a governing elite, but sometimes a regional warlord. Rather than foster networks of commerce, the leader’s only concern is … Read more
If we assume that World War 2 was the most destructive event in history, it doesn’t tell us anything about the trends of in war and peace. Pinker rejects that epochs of war are cyclical (a common suggestion) or Toynbee’s suggestion that WWII was a step in an escalating staircase. Like many depressing prospects, both … Read more
There are less homicides today among unrelated men. But there has not been as much decline in violence within families (women or kin). Manuals such as Everyday Etiquette and Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior used to be serious sources of moral conduct. Erasmus, one of the great foudners of modernity, wrote an etiquette … Read more
In the Leviathan, Hobbes explains the logic of violence in a fewer than a hundred words (as good as any explanation you can find today). So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory. The first maketh men invade for gain; the second, for … Read more
Pinker starts with pointing a hypocrisy that exists across all religions, but in particular, Christianity. Modern day Christians pay lip service to the Bible as their moral guide, but their morality really comes from other sources. The saints that are celebrated in Christianity all died in gruesome ways. They went through extreme forms of torture … Read more
“The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order” is a book by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington published in 1996. It’s an expansion of his 1993 Foreign Affairs article, “The Clash of Civilizations?”. The central argument of the book is that the sources of conflict in the post-Cold War era are primarily related … Read more
The Incas had strict rules for who would be able to mate with their women. They organized these rights according to a hierarchy, and any man who violated these rules would be put to his death, along with his family. Most of the Incas were descendants of powerful men. Human beings are a product of … Read more
In The Lucifer Principle, Howard Bloom sets on an ambitious undertaking, to find a single explanation for why there is evil in the world. Bloom is a controversial figure. He once suggested that Islamic cultures treat their children harshly, they despise open displays of affections, and the result is a society of violent adults. If … Read more
Running on Empty by Peter G. Peterson was written in 2004. It is a book on public policy by chairman of the Blackstone group. It is a good test to read such books on public policy many years later. The problems that Peterson warns about include the consequences of unfunded commitments in Social Security and … Read more