If evolution is driven by the survival of the individual, then it’s pretty hard to explain why anyone would sacrifice for anyone else, since any impulse to do so should have been bred out of us long ago. Theorists of “kin selection” propose a solution to the puzzle. Does it work?
Why is the Nazi analogy so overused that it loses its force?
To understand the reason, consider first that almost all of the overuse is on the Left. Opposing critical race theory is like Naziism. Believing that there are two sexes is like Naziism. Disapproving riots is like Naziism. Supporting anyone who isn’t Woke is like Naziism. Practicing faith in God is like Naziism.
Ockham’s Razor is the rule that we shouldn’t assume more kinds of things than we need to. Roughly, if a simpler explanation can do the job, then simpler is better. It’s a pretty good rule of thumb if it is used correctly, but it usually isn’t.
It’s fascinating what one can pick up purely by accident from internet search results on unrelated topics. Recently, while looking up how certain consonants are formed in the mouth, I learned something about a genre of popular music.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
For my senior seminar this week I assigned Thomas Aquinas. One student, who apparently did not actually do the reading but read some hostile secondary sources, claimed that Aquinas -- a "raging sexist" -- questioned whether women should have been even created. He said it is a shame we are even reading his work.
