“Philosophy” on The Daily Caller

Elena Kagan, President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, seemed to shock many people when she dodged questions about the Declaration of Independence during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (more)

Want to be invited to A-list parties? Want people to think you are smart? Then don’t smile and don’t say anything positive–especially about the economy. Pessimism has become so pervasive that people will believe just about anything, as long as it is negative. (more)

The United States’ Declaration of Independence may well be the most cited yet least read or understood document in American history. (more)

This coming weekend marks the 234th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America. (more)

The Oscar-nominated actor, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009, died on Saturday at the age of 74. (more)

Reading the tea leaves offers both danger and hope: (more)

I have to admit, for a while I enjoyed watching MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow humiliate and embarrass Rand Paul when he tried to explain why he did not support the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the seminal legislation that forbade racial and other discrimination in restaurants and other businesses and facilities that were open to the public. (more)

A Toronto woman says the billing practices of Rogers Wireless Inc. led to her husband discovering her extramarital affair. (more)

After I took my final exams, I decided to go to the beach for a few days. I wanted to feel close to God, and since I was a kid the ocean has always connected me to the divine. Growing up I spent a lot of summers at eastern shore of Maryland, about three hours from my home in Washington, D.C. The semester was over. It was time for a break—and to wrap up this diary. (more)

I’ll admit, maybe the flat-screen TV’s and minifridges are a bit much, but, as far as socialist-leaning countries go, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Scandinavia. While for many libertarians and conservatives the “taxation is theft” debate immediately comes to mind when speaking of such countries, I’d rather point to the rationale behind Norway building the world’s “most humane prison”—to attempt to give people who are imprisoned a real chance at reintegrating into society upon release. In other words, a real, tangible concern for the welfare of people other than one’s self. Time writes: (more)

Principled conservatives should be skeptical of Arizona’s recent decision to grant police the power to question illegal aliens (and U.S. citizens) about their immigration status—and to arrest those who cannot show documentation. (more)

 (more)

Federal Judge Richard Berman announced the sentence last night after hearing Cameron apologize and admit that he had squandered a lot of opportunities to turn his life around. (more)

Not everyone would think that the actor Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter musings on his daily doings constitute part of “the universal body of human knowledge.” (more)

 (more)

When lawmakers tried to pass a federal ban on same-sex marriage, the activist left was there to shout: “You can’t legislate morality.” When they tried to alter or overturn Roe v. Wade, the National Organization for Women started screaming: “You can’t legislate morality.” When they tried to pass a law saying 13-year-olds shouldn’t have government funded access to contraception, organizations like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU were there to remind us: “You can’t legislate morality.” (more)

There are five philosophies of education: essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, social reconstructivism, and existentialism. In my “Foundations of Education” class, which I am taking to become a certified teacher, we have been given an assignment: pick which approach you prefer. (more)

While America has been battered by the ObamaCare Putsch, other events of interest have gone a bit under-reported. One such was an e-mail written by François Houle, Provost of the University of Ottawa, to Ann Coulter in anticipation of her giving a speech on his campus. Its content was publicized by FiveFeetofFury.com and others, including columnist Mark Steyn. The e-mail threatened criminal prosecution under Canada’s hate speech laws or suits for defamation if she promoted “hatred.” More than a few observers believe Houle’s e-mail directly encouraged students at his university to violently prevent Coulter from delivering her speech, thereby violating the hate laws with which he threatened her. Coulter has filed a complaint with Canada’s Human Rights Commission and seems to be enjoying her ironic counterattack immensely. I’d like to send an open letter to Provost Houle in reply to his e-mail. (more)

Our behavior is profoundly influenced by the incentives we face. Money is a very important motivator but money is not everything. Our behavior is also influenced by prestige, power, benevolence, and all the feel good stuff. All of these help determine the incentives we face to work hard for our own benefit and for the good of man kind. Our cultural and moral values are also important more directly for the quality of our lives and for the success of any economic system—capitalism or socialism—by supporting or failing to support voluntary compliance with the needs of that system. They provide the lubricant that helps the economic system function smoothly. (more)

The male body is different from the female body. (more)