Free Republic

Almost a century ago, the psychologist Jean Piaget defined the stages of cognitive development. Up until about age 2, children learn about cause and effect through their actions. For the next five years, they learn through pretend play but struggle with logic. By middle school, they're in the "concrete operational stage." Their thinking is more logical but still rigid. Then around age 12, children enter the "formal operational stage," becoming capable of theoretical and abstract reasoning. This progression isn't just about acquiring knowledge; it's about a change in the very nature of how we think. Madeline Levine, a psychologist and...

Today the United States finds itself adrift on a sea of uncertainty; its economy floundering under the weight of oppressive debt and mismanagement, its status in world affairs at its lowest ebb since the beginning of the 20th Century and its citizens openly questioning the future. At such a critical time the country has as its President a man unable or qualified to lead. Barack Obama is a man without a core, leaving the ship of state without a rudder in the management of foreign affairs and domestic policy which have spun dangerously out of control over the past two...

FOX News: "Robert Gibbs said ‘well, he was actually watching, you know, the HBO special about his year-long campaign and how it all went.'"

Michael Eric Dyson’s tour for his book, Is Bill Cosby Right? (Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost its Mind?) has been busting out all over radio and TV in the past few weeks. In fact there’s been lots of talk about Bill Cosby’s remarks concerning declining morality and poor behavior stemming from a lack of parental responsibility that’s holding black kids back. Mr. Cosby laments the lifestyle of young blacks; from their dress, to their music, their views on sex, their language and their moral ethos in general. He believes that it is the fault of black parents for...

Taking a Deep Look Inside John Kerry's Character Written by Joan Swirsky Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Editor: This article was written in April, but its message is still highly relevant: During his primary campaign, John Kerry traveled on private jets, ate lavish dinners with his ever-present and presumably loving wife, was spared any criticsm from his competitors and was lionized by a leftist media. To recover from the extreme ''stress'' of this routine, the senator took a week's vacation at his wife's multimillion-dollar getaway in Idaho. Every eligible American voter must now ask: If simple campaigning made Kerry snap at...