Posted by Anja on October 23rd, 2009
In her book Where We Stand: Class Matters, bell hooks claims to show how class intertwines with race and gender to exacerbate the economic and psychological plight of the poor. Yet, it’s riddled with worn-out clichés, myths, unsubstantiated claims, and downright falsehoods.
Before I launch into my criticisms, I want to point out that I know poverty from personal experience. I know what it feels like not to have the clothes, the amenities, the toys, the gadgets, the material symbols deemed important by others. I felt that way throughout most of middle- and high school. I have seen the suffering and inhumanity of true poverty, and it has always touched me deeply and personally. By no means do I take for granted what I have. A lot of hard work went into my being were I am today, work on the part of my parents, me and my husband.
Nevertheless, not only from the total sum of my own experience, but also as scholar of philosophy, politics and economics, I disagree with hooks on several grounds. In the following I will respond to three themes in hooks’ book: the state of poverty; wealth as a zero-sum game; and wasting resources.
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Posted by Anja on October 19th, 2009
The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship, where I work, has received one of the 2009 Templeton Freedom Awards for Excellence in Promoting Liberty.
The Templeton Freedom Awards are the largest international awards program for think tanks, and are decided and given by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
CEE won in the category “Special Achievement by a University-based Center.” According to the AERF press release, it was “awarded the University-based prize for launching six courses focusing on the ethical infrastructure of entrepreneurship and the preconditions of the free society in ethics.”
To find out more about the 2009 Templeton Awards, check out the AERF website.
Posted by Anja on October 14th, 2009
Reason Foundation will have a special series in November celebrating Ayn Rand.
Posted by Anja on October 14th, 2009
John Mackey speaks with reason.tv about his proposal for healthcare reform, the history of Whole Foods, and dealing with government interference.
Posted by Anja on October 9th, 2009
Check out this list of people who the Nobel Peace Prize committee passed over in favor of Obama.
Posted by Anja on October 5th, 2009
The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship just published its full interview with Steve Mariotti, founder of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), an organization dedicated to providing entrepreneurship education to low-income youths.
