Becoming an Expert
/You can definitely afford it and you’ll definitely have time, spread out over a lifetime, to become an expert.
Read MoreYou can definitely afford it and you’ll definitely have time, spread out over a lifetime, to become an expert.
Read MoreThere is a truth regarding whether Bush did or didn’t shirk his duty. It is not merely a matter of opinion or political expediency. It does not depend on whether we like Bush or not. Only 47 years have passed, and nearly everyone involved remains alive. But the truth seems undiscoverable.
Read MoreIt is the nature of historical research to give the greatest weight to matters with the greatest preponderance of evidence. Most accounts of Shiloh uncritically blame Wallace. There is a century and a half of documentary “proof” stacked against Wallace. History is about evidence, and even if the evidence is wrong, it is still the stuff history is made of.
Read MoreLogic is a formal thought process — a set of rules for how to think. An idea is logical if it passes the tests of the logical process. Even then, logic is a very limited aid to knowing. Logic is not a shortcut. Calling an idea “logical” does not make it true. Logic is also not a superpower. Anyone who declares, mysteriously, “Just believe me!” or “Trust me about this!” isn’t being logical and doesn’t deserve trust.
Read MoreEpistemology is the search for justified true belief. Each of these three stories relates a time when a correct conclusion was drawn from available evidence and correct action followed. A little bit of math came in useful. But the main ingredient in all three cases was careful thought built upon clear definitions and consistent measurement. Those three elements — and not computers and software — are the essentials to knowing what’s true.
Read MoreBritta’s blend of fervency and sincerity and fallibility are insufferable.
Read MorePolice procedures are not the result of a democratic process.
Read MorePeople are separated by mountains of difference: different priorities, different facts, different sources.
Read MoreThe most essential new development that sets in modern political theory apart from the past is the new discipline of political science. Plato’s ideas emerged from his fertile mind. Medieval kings ruled by fiat with very little feedback about how they were doing. Modern political science looks at what actually happens and tries to explain it and asses how well it works.
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Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels
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