Atlas Society
Top 10 Articles
Patrick Stephens
Environmentalism: Don't Judge It by Its Extremists
Categories:
Commentary |
February 2001 -- In recent months, the Environmental Liberation Front (ELF) has claimed responsibility for acts of arson across the country, thereby becoming the latest in a string of radical environmental groups to move into the media spotlight. Burning business offices and torching private homes are among the activities ELF has triumphantly heralded as "success," estimating that it has caused damages in the millions of dollars. But ELF is not alone.
The Morality of Capitalism
Categories:
Commentary |
March 2001 -- The Virtue of Prosperity. By Dinesh D'Souza. (New York: Free Press, 2000. 284 pp. $26.00.)
The Internet in Closed Societies
Categories:
Commentary |
July/August 2001 -- Apparently the World Wide Web isn't as worldwide as it could be. The Internet—the centerpiece of the "new economy" technology that was supposed to stamp out tyranny and usher in a culture of freedom—is having a hard time taking hold in authoritarian countries. Despite advances in encryption and other privacy-oriented technologies, authoritarian governments are finding it all too easy to restrict and censor Internet access within their boundaries—usually by employing "old economy" technologies like guns and prisons.
The Roots of Peace
Categories:
Commentary |
October 2001 -- A commentary from the Navigator Special: The Assault on Civilization, posted September 21, 2001
On September 11, the metaphor of the war of ideas between rational civilization and tribalist barbarism became literal description.
The Justice of War
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Commentary |
December 2001 -- As the United States pursues its war in Afghanistan, the national and the international press have focused attention on the civilian casualties that inevitably result from bombing raids conducted in close proximity to civilian populations. Indeed, after each bombing raid, major newspapers around the world have diligently included the Taliban's assertions about civilian casualties. As the raids continue and ground troops are sent in, the likelihood of further civilian casualties will certainly increase.
Democratic Tyranny
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Commentary |
April 2002 -- As the United States and the rest of the Western world help members of the Afghan coalition rebuild their nation, and as we pressure them to implement democratic reforms, perhaps we should stop to ask ourselves if democracy really is the best policy. The Taliban certainly brought terror and tyranny, but democracy may not be much better. After all, terror is terror, whether it is imposed by dictatorial fiat or popular election. And while it is comforting to believe that democracies don't produce tyrannies, that's not always true. Nigeria is a case in point.
The Roots of Peace
Categories:
Commentary |
September 21, 2001 -- On September 11, the metaphor of the war of ideas between rational civilization and tribalist barbarism became literal description.
Powell and Arafat: An Exercise in Futility
Categories:
Commentary |
April 16, 2002 -- Every job has its downside: Multimillionaire CEOs spend a bazillion hours at the office, famous actresses are mobbed by obsessive fans everywhere they go, even international beer writer Michael Jackson (no, not the pop star), who travels around the world and drinks beer for a living, has to—OK, maybe not all jobs have a downside—but being U.S. Secretary of State certainly does.
Human Cloning: When is a Person a Person?
Categories:
Commentary |
December 4, 2001 -- In the coming months, ethicists will be variously defending or condemning human cloning and embryonic stem cell research. They will debate the potential benefits of the technology and discuss the social consequences of the advancing science. But in the end, the ethical question will turn on the issue of when a human life begins—i.e., the life of a distinct, individual human being, a person.
