Sago Boulevard

Historian Howard Zinn doesn’t like Walter Kirn’s NYTimes review of his book, A Young People’s History of the United States. He even accuses Kirn of believing in objective truth, which, he claims, even “bright 12 year-olds” realize is nonsense.

The reviewer seems to hold to the 19th-century von Ranke idea that there is one truth to be told. Most historians, and most intelligent people, including bright 12-year-olds, understand that there is no such thing as a single “objective” truth, but that there are different truths according to the viewpoint of the historian.

The absurdity of Zinn’s relativism quickly reveals itself in the next paragraph. (more…)

(via Jill)

I suppose this is good news.

The American Medical Association on Wednesday backed off calling excessive video-game playing a formal psychiatric addiction, saying instead that more research is needed.
. . .
AMA delegates instead adopted a watered-down measure declaring that while overuse of video games and online games can be a problem for children and adults, calling it a formal addiction would be premature.

Tales of Modernity hosts the Plato-themed 49th Philosophers’ Carnival.

There’s something deeply troubling the the political conversation surrounding Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. When politicans and pundits lament the fact that Romney’s faith is a campaign issue, they insult and trivialize religious faith on a much deeper level.
(more…)

R. Hershel Schachter has a great devar Torah on common sense and emunat chachamim at TorahWeb.org (via Hirhurim). According to the Midrash, Korach challenged Moshe’s authority by appealing to “common sense” arguments about tzitzit and mezuzah. (more…)

From the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog (via Jill):

“The emotional distress of law students appears to significantly exceed that of medical students and at times approach that of psychiatric populations.” That’s the conclusion of a new study, suggesting that law school has a corrosive effect on the well-being, values and motivation of students.

That sounds about right.

The latest Philosophers’ Carnival is up at common sense philosophy. Enjoy