The Virtuous Republic, Part 5: Reforging Virtue and the Republic
Figure Credit: Colonial Williamsburg Abstract: The previous parts in this series (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4) showed the US is neither virtuous nor a true republic. So how do we reforge the virtuous republic? We must approach this problem…
Part 6—A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Wrapped Inside an Enigma
Abstract: What is at the core of political and social engineering groups? What are their true motivations and goals? “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Winston Churchill Churchill’s quote about Russia is spot on for…
Truth is the First Casualty of…Unchecked Power
Three years after the US’s catastrophic run from Afghanistan, most Americans have no clue what happened. No one has stood up and taken responsibility. Five years after the killings that triggered Black Lives Matter (BLM) most Americans do not really…
The Tragedy of the Commons: Wicked Logic
In The Tragedy of the Commons: Rational Actors, I discussed linear vs. spiral logic. I suggested that western logic tended to be more linear and Islamic and other cultures, perhaps more spiral. But that is a generalization based on today’s…
The Tragedy of the Commons: The Political Commons
I first came across the problem (tragedy) of the commons in a political science course in grad school. We read a remarkable work by Elinor Ostrom about the problem. Her work both resonated with me and left me looking for…
The Tragedy of the Commons: Rational Actor
This is a follow on to Tragedy of the Commons: The Political Commons. It specifically looks at the rationality implied in Ostrom’s 8 points and the Rational Actor/Choice, Game, and Agency theories. What happens if the rational hypothesis fails…
