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Ideology

Obama's Failure: A Presidency Without Ideology

Dan Agin | Posted 05.01.2013 | Politics
Dan Agin

Obama's presidency is not a conservative presidency; it's not a liberal presidency; it's a nothing presidency. At most a caretaker presidency, the country treading water until the next presidency with an ideology behind it.

Vietnam in Transition: When Consumers Worship at the Altar of the Shopping Mall

Andrew Lam | Posted 03.26.2013 | GPS for the Soul
Andrew Lam

In Vietnam there's new horde of consumers with dispensable income and a penchant for luxury goods and real estates overseas. Small but growing in numb...

Ideology Won't Solve Our Problems

Dan Morgan | Posted 05.13.2013 | Politics
Dan Morgan

The sequester that took effect March 1 is a case in point. Some House Republicans have called it the Tea Party's biggest success to date. But a success for whom?

Paul Ryan's New Budget: Ideological Wish-Fulfillment Fantasy

Alex Knepper | Posted 05.13.2013 | Politics
Alex Knepper

I still admire Rep. Ryan and hope that he continues to make strides toward making serious entitlement reform possible. But if he wants to govern then he needs to bow to reality and accept that elections have consequences -- even elections that he lost.

The Self-Imposed Ideological Siege

Alon Ben-Meir | Posted 05.13.2013 | World
Alon Ben-Meir

The most puzzling aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be that after 65 years of violence, enmity and suffering, it remains unresolved when coexistence is inevitable and a two-state solution remains the only viable option.

What Mali Tells Us About Ideology and al-Qaeda

Peter Henne | Posted 04.28.2013 | World
Peter Henne

What does this mean for us? Well, it's both good and bad. It's good because the extreme ideology of the group likely contributed to its downfall in Mali. It's bad because calls for pragmatism -- which would moderate its more severe violence -- may fall short.

All the Wrong Questions

David Katz, M.D. | Posted 03.31.2013 | Politics
David Katz, M.D.

If "the people" does not, and cannot, mean all people, and if the Founders did not further specify which people -- then that is a question we are obligated to ask and answer. Which people? And, similarly, what arms?

The GOP's Real Problem? It's Not Conservative Enough

Alex Knepper | Posted 03.30.2013 | Politics
Alex Knepper

Philosophical conservatism is not a panacea to our nation's problems -- it can be too stuffy, too trusting of tradition, and too attached to visions of a mythical past. But it is a vital component of a healthy political system.

Safety Off...

David Trumble | Posted 03.15.2013 | Crime
David Trumble

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Massive Ideological Republican Hypocrisy

Chris Weigant | Posted 02.04.2013 | Politics
Chris Weigant

While the entire political punditry world is caught up in yet another horserace, major tenets of the Republican party's faith seem to be crumbling. Their bedrock ideology is revealing itself, in multiple ways, of having been built on sand all along.

Can Flowers Save The DPRK?

Illya Szilak | Posted 01.01.2013 | Travel
Illya Szilak

If I could retain one image of North Korea, it would not be the tacky décor or the outrageously enjoyable circus or the million and one monuments or the flashing neon everywhere. It would be the shabby apartment buildings with the little flowerpots on each balcony.

Stability Through Compromise

Paul Ruth | Posted 12.02.2012 | Politics
Paul Ruth

Extremism can have the appearance of populism, but rarely the numbers. It can be a blinding thought process that takes advantage of the disadvantaged, and is controlled by narrow minded leaders who are resolute in their mission

The Naked Ideology of School Reform

Mark Cassello | Posted 11.10.2012 | Home
Mark Cassello

If Chicagoans fail to recognize the deeper systemic issues underlying their failing schools, the teachers' strike may play right into the hands of Emanuel, who stands to profit politically, and the charter school corporations, which stand to profit financially.

The Slavoj Zizek Show in Korea

John R. Eperjesi | Posted 08.29.2012 | Home
John R. Eperjesi

I was caught off guard by Zizek's lecture. This supposed Lacanian madman spent the better part of two hours talking about a rather old-fashioned though still important New Left category: ideology.

The Fallacy Of Statements Of Faith

Christian Piatt | Posted 08.19.2012 | Religion
Christian Piatt

I have a confession to make. A while back, I was applying for an editing job with a fairly prominent Christian media company, and I was asked to sign a statement of faith. I needed the job, so even though I didn't actually agree with several points in the statement of faith, I signed it.

Horses and People: Who's Whispering?

David Katz, M.D. | Posted 08.13.2012 | Healthy Living
David Katz, M.D.

The lore and the legend of the horse whisperer honors a whisper heard, not spoken. That all of us could learn to hear and understand horses better might matter to some more than others. That we might all learn to hear and understand one another better matters to us all.

Zombies Fighting Over Who Is Right: A Nightmare On Main Street

William Grassie | Posted 07.22.2012 | Religion
William Grassie

Every religion, every ideology and every construct of self implies a perspective on what constitutes the good life, as well as some kind of critique of the bad. But what are we to do when our ideals are in conflict?

Cara Santa Maria

WATCH: Liberal, Conservative: Are You Born That Way?

HuffingtonPost.com | Cara Santa Maria | Posted 07.04.2012 | Science

2012-05-07-Screenshot20120507at1.18.50PM.jpgDo we have traits that can be used to reliably predict whether someone is liberal or conservative in nature?

Seeking Truth In A World Of Competing Narratives

William Grassie | Posted 06.30.2012 | Religion
William Grassie

Is there some other way to adjudicate between the competing metanarratives that shape our lives and identities, determining how we think and act, what we hold to be true and good?

The Best Policy Depends on the Context, Not the Political Party

Paul Heroux | Posted 06.09.2012 | Politics
Paul Heroux

By targeting risk factors and having specific solutions, we can expect to prevent most crime before we have to punish it. Be wary when you hear politicians promoting one-step solutions to crime. The real world is complicated and so are the solutions.

Conflicting Ideologies And Entangled Narratives

William Grassie | Posted 06.02.2012 | Religion
William Grassie

How do we decide which stories are worthy of our affirmation and support? Which narratives have the power to convince, convert and transform? Which religion does one choose?

Supreme Court Scandals

Brent Budowsky | Posted 05.29.2012 | Politics
Brent Budowsky

Sadly for America, there is far too much money, and far too little sunlight, in a government that most voters believe, correctly, is corrupted by money that buys democracy in the dark.

March Madness, Primary Season and the Limits of Sports as Metaphor

Roderick Spencer | Posted 05.25.2012 | Politics
Roderick Spencer

I'm a sports fan and I care about politics, so let's mash them together. It is likely that Barack Obama is the most knowledgeable US President ever when it comes to NCAA basketball. How can the remaining GOP candidates use that against him?

One American's Pretentious Resolutions for a Decisive New Year

Dorian de Wind | Posted 02.27.2012 | Politics
Dorian de Wind

America does not have to choose between continuing to be the greatest nation on earth and being a compassionate, tolerant, inclusive and united society. It is the latter that has made America great.

Youthless Churches And The Arab Spring: A Generation of Ideas, not Ideology

Frank Fredericks | Posted 11.29.2011 | Religion
Frank Fredericks

Our faiths were not faltering; instead, our churches were failing to engage with young people in a way that is relevant for them.