Do we have a right to receive an education in the same way that we have a right to free speech? Do we have a right to healthcare in the same way that we have a right to own property? We often use the word “right” without thinking much about what the word actually means and without considering what the government is obligated to do about our rights. There are actually two very different conceptions of rights, and these two…
1. Scientifically Proven Tips For a More Productive Office. This summarizes some easy ways (which have been confirmed with scientific research) to increase productivity: bluer lights, bringing nature into the office, having a highly adjustable chair, and maintaining a comfortable (or slightly cold) temperature. 2. Cell Phones Track Your Every Move and You May Not Even Know. A German politician obtained the data his cell phone provider’s records about his movements. They had six month’s worth of data about everywhere…
1. Periodic Fasting May Cut Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes. A study comparing Mormons who fast once a month with Mormons who don’t fast indicates that “[o]ccasional water-only fasts may lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes.” 2. Why Preschool Shouldn’t Be Like School. Research shows that spontaneous, exploratory learning encourages children to “look for a much wider range of information and consider a greater range of options” than when children learn from a teacher giving instruction. This has…
Note: This is part 2 of a series on morality and ethics. Here are the other parts: part 1, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, and part 7 (plus additional posts on hypocrisy and free will). The entire series makes up the fourth chapter of my book, The Triple Path, which can be downloaded for free here in PDF and eReader formats or purchased at all major book retailers (in print and eReader formats). The Golden Rule…
1. Avoid News: Towards a Healthy News Diet (via Bryan Caplan at Econlog). I’ve been realizing more and more how much of my news reading is just a waste of time. I now spend more time reading non-fiction books and bigger-picture articles from smart people about ideas, rather than articles about politician X visiting country Y or bill Z which is being considered by Congress. This article gives some good explanations why spending too much time on news is a…
1. Brazilians, more European than not? This blog post summarizes a recent genetic study of the ancestral background of Brazilians from different regions of the country: “black Brazilians have a much higher load of European ancestry than black Americans, while white Brazilians have a much higher load of Amerindian and African, than white Americans.” 2. Religious fundamentalism is in the genes. This summarizes a study done to compare identical and fraternal twins to examine how much of the subjects’ religious…
Note: This is part 1 of a series on morality and ethics. Here are the other parts: part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, and part 7 (plus additional posts on hypocrisy and free will). The entire series makes up the fourth chapter of my book, The Triple Path, which can be downloaded for free here in PDF and eReader formats or purchased at all major book retailers (in print and eReader formats). What is morality?…
Note: This is part 5 of a five part series on how we can discover truth. Here are the other parts: part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4. The entire series makes up the third chapter of my book, The Triple Path, which can be downloaded for free here in PDF and eReader formats or purchased at all major book retailers (in print and eReader formats). Conclusion Recent history has led to radical changes in how we…
1. Is a cow a silo of option value? A good argument, perhaps, against vegetarianism. 2. The Best Questions For A First Date. Dating site OK Cupid has data-mined the answers given by site users, and has come up with some interesting correlations between personal attributes and seemingly-unrelated questions. The upside is that you can use this to ask innocuous questions to possibly get some insight into a person’s personal attributes that you probably couldn’t normally ask of an acquaintance….
It is common to hear people say that we need more Americans to drive Priuses, hybrids, and other cars with good mileage. But measuring fuel efficiency by miles per gallon (MPG) is worse than useless: it’s misleading. It makes it almost impossible to easily compare cars and figure out how much fuel each car will really use. We Should Focus on Minimizing the Fuel We Use, Rather than on Maximizing the Distance we Can Drive We use MPG in the…