universities

The vanity of populism

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An essential component of populist rhetoric is telling the people what they want to hear. Many politicians throughout history have attracted mass followings by simply reinforcing people’s selfish beliefs and prejudices – including their misconceptions. Donald J. Trump, along with his supportive right-wing media, is a master at this type of manipulation. Creating an enemy … Read more

The death of expertise spells doom for democracy

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These are dangerous times. Never have so many people had access to so much knowledge, and yet been so resistant to learning anything. Tom Nichols The Founding Fathers, while setting up a democratic republic, guaranteed a free press to serve as a watchdog on the government. They also set up public schools and universities because … Read more