Tag Archives: Social Norms

Traffic, and what it says about your city and its people

Posted on 2017/06/28 by

There’s a lot you can tell about a city by observing its traffic patterns and the habits of pedestrians on the street. In New York, for instance, the people are moving quickly – the vehicles as well. The walkers and … Continue reading →

Posted in Civility, Travelogue, Travelogue 2017, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Kein Mensch ist Illegal”

Posted on 2015/07/04 by

I’ve been noticing graffiti and stickers bearing this slogan around town here in Dresden, and I did twenty seconds of web searching to figure out what it’s about. I had a half-understanding of this from just reading the text of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Ethics, Political Commentary, Political Philosophy, Travelogue, Travelogue 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Defense of “Argument ad Hitlerum”

Posted on 2015/06/18 by

  If you’ve visited the internet other than to visit this site, you’ve seen the interaction dozens (or hundreds?) of times by now. One person expresses a view. The view sounds crazy to someone else. The someone else says something … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Depression and Idealism

Posted on 2012/07/20 by

[I usually like to take an instance of scholarly work and apply it to a practical, real-life issue. I’ve set aside that rule in this post to offer a general cultural criticism to a pertinent and immediate issue in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Gossip and Morality

Posted on 2012/07/19 by

For many of us, the moral verdict on gossip is in: gossiping is something we ought to avoid, and we do something wrong when we engage in gossip. In this article, I want to suggest that there are cases in … Continue reading →

Posted in Civility, Ethics, Etiquette, Rough Ideas and Arguments | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment