Monthly Archives: September 2006

Intelligence, wisdom, ignorance and stupidity

Posted on September 30, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

“…the difference between ignorant and educated people is that the latter know more facts. But this has nothing to do with whether they are stupid or intelligent. The difference between stupid and intelligent people – and this is true whether … Continue reading →

Posted in On Thinking | 8 Comments

The Pleasures of Anthropology

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

My first M.A. was in anthropology, and while I didn’t work in the field I have no regrets. It’s a fascinating study and as a field of investigation, vitally important, though underappreciated. If knowledge in the physical and strictly biological … Continue reading →

Posted in Social Science & History | 2 Comments

What’s in a name?

Posted on September 26, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

Note: I have a column published at a site called, The Atlasphere, entitled, “The Attack on Language: Rights”. Here http://www.theatlasphere.com/ Monika and I were watching the opening credits of a movie set in Spain when we noticed the name of … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Social Science & History | 4 Comments

The Hot Button issue

Posted on September 22, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

Religion. (I wonder if you guessed that one?) Quite obviously there is a culture war going on between the believers and the committed secularists. Or to put it another way, the committed believers in something running the universe and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 4 Comments

Observations on being an older parent

Posted on September 20, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

My first child was born three months after I turned fifty, my second a month after my fifty-fifth birthday. I often wonder how much of a difference this makes in what kind of daddy I am. My children came into … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, Personal, Relationships | Leave a comment

Here’s what I mean by "moral equivalence"

Posted on September 16, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

I found this September 16, in the Letters column of the Village Voice: “Yeung’s gut-wrenching article brought to mind a similar story I read about the parents of an Oklahoma City bombing victim who ended up having dinner with Timothy … Continue reading →

Posted in On Thinking, Philosophy, Terrorism | 2 Comments

Orianna Fallaci R.I.P. – bummer.

Posted on September 15, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

Oriana Fallaci died today, to nobody’s surprise. She was 77 and had been battling cancer for 15 years. Battling is indeed the word to describe the way she approached her cancer, and life in general. Seventy-seven years is a pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in Eleagic mode, Terrorism | Leave a comment

Hurrah for the Men of the West!

Posted on September 15, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

Western Civilization is demonstrably superior to all of its predecessors and all of its contemporaries. Wow! Gotcha there didn’t I? When I was a budding young Social Scientist I used to pull that one out whenever I was feeling mean … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Poland in Iraq

Posted on September 14, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

Yesterday on FOX we saw the president of Poland, Jaroslaw Kaczynski interviewed. The reporter kind of got egg on her face when she asked, “Why are you withdrawing your troops from Iraq?” The president replied (through an interpreter), “We have … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, War | 1 Comment

My Political Philosophy in a Nutshell

Posted on September 13, 2006 by Stephen W. Browne

I guess it’s about time I made my statement on personal political philosophy. As you see from the sidebar, I’m a libertarian. What kind? A sane one. (“Yeah, yeah, everybody says that.” I’ve heard.) By this I mean I’m a … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Leave a comment