From PS: Political Science and Politics, Pei-te Lien ( Utah), Dianne M. Pinderhughes (Notre Dame), Carol Hardy-Fanta (UMass- Boston), and Christine M. Sierra (UNM): The Voting Rights Act and the Election of Nonwhite Officials. Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels (Princeton): It Feels Like We’re Thinking: The Rationalizing Voter and Electoral Democracy. The devil in democracy: A review of The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies by Bryan Caplan and The Rise of the Unelected: Democracy and the New Separation of Powers by Frank Vibert.
A review of Milton Friedman: A Biography by Lanny Ebenstein. A review of Discover Your Inner Economist by Tyler Cowen. Think green: Green politics and the study of economics are beginning to share a platform, thanks to a number of new websites and books. The original Republican Party Reptile is back: PJ O'Rourke's sharp, stylish commentary on Adam Smith, champion of the free market, is already an American bestseller. As it hits the shelves in Britain, this dour 18th-century philosopher is once again the talk of the town – and the author shows the colour of his money.
"Oh, I'm kind of a philosopher, too. I LOVE Ayn Rand": Is human excellence the mark of mental illness? A review of a new edition of Disputed Questions on the Virtues by Thomas Aquinas. Virtue on the brain: Neuroscience is demanding that we put good habits at the centre of child rearing. A Mind for Sociability: Brain structure offers clues to evolution of human emotional intelligence. You know the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." For many people, though, it is broken, and we need to fix it. What's broken is the brain, especially the emotional brain, and the consequence is a life dominated by mental suffering.
A review of IQ: the brilliant idea that failed by Stephen Murdoch. Redundancy testing: Charles Murray, erstwhile champion of the SAT, has changed his mind about the test — and says it's time to scrap it. From The Black Commentator, getting black boys to read: Hip hop enters the fray (and that might not be a good thing). A review of Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade by Linda Perlstein. Joanne Jacobs on The Underdog Imperative: Win or lose, kids shouldn’t be shielded from competition.
