Free Republic

We'll be able to have more productive and honest conversations with one another the sooner we realize that while morality takes sides, science does not.Even as coronavirus vaccines slowly make their way into the population, debates rage around the world on whether lockdowns should continue or be implemented anew. Often in these debates, one hears the term “science” tossed about irresponsibly, sometimes by participants on both sides of the argument.Most of the time, however, when people say that we should “follow the science,” they mean we should listen to the expert advice of medical professionals who argue in favor of...

Modern science, medicine, political freedom, the market economy—all of them, we’re told, are the result of a sort of miracle that took place 250 years ago. That miracle is called the Enlightenment, a moment in history when philosophers suddenly overthrew religious dogma and tradition and replaced it with human reason. Harvard professor Steven Pinker puts it this way: “Progress is a gift of the ideals of the Enlightenment.” There’s just one problem with this claim. It isn’t really true. Consider the U.S. Constitution, which is frequently said to be a product of Enlightenment thought. But you only need to read...

w w w . h a a r e t z d a i l y . c o m U.S. sends Israeli aid team back `to do its homework' The Israeli delegation seeking to push through an aid request in the United States returned on Friday from its talks in Washington with a list of "homework" assignments. Officials in the American administration want to hear Israel's plan for economic recovery, even before the new government is formed, together with detailed demands for security aid. Israel is asking the U.S. for an unprecedentedly large aid package - a $4...