Philosophy
Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid. He was not the serial killer that his legend holds him out to be and, indeed, was not well-known until Pat Garrett, the sheriff that ultimately did him in, wrote a self-aggrandizing account.
But the legend lives on and that leads to today's question: why do we find outlaws so romantic? The great advances in society, the ability to live long and fulfilling lives, the heights of science and culture are all predicated on there being order. Without a social contract that allows us to be fairly confident about our ability to live without fear of one another, we couldn't do or plan and these projects are what make us who we are. All of this is threatened by by the outlaw. Yet, we love them, are drawn to them. Why?
- The Social Contract And Generations To Come
Hopefully by now, everyone has seen this clip of Elizabeth Warren. Phil, a longtime Playground friend, asked me about a claim she makes at the end. She says that "part of the underlying social contract is that you take a hunk of that [earnings] and pay...
- Presidential Comedy
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, Good brother YKW reminded me that this week marked the 24th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's famous announcement, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which...
- Is All Love Sweet?
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Barack Obama and Louis Armstrong (interesting coincidence), but also Percy Shelley. Shelley wrote All love is sweet, Given or returned. Common as light is love, And its familiar voice wearies not ever. They who...
- Marriage And Metaphysics
Today is my anniversary. Interestingly, it is also TheWife's anniversary. We did that on purpose in order to make it easier to remember. The story of our meeting is long, but suffice it to say that despite living quite far from each other, over the...
- "billy The Kid" Tintype And Tintypes
"Billy the Kid photo auctioned for $2.3 million" Private collector William Koch buys the only known tintype of the Old West outlaw. It is believed to have been made in New Mexico around 1880. June 26th, 2011 Associated Press What is believed to be the...
Philosophy
The Romanticizing of Outlaws
Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid. He was not the serial killer that his legend holds him out to be and, indeed, was not well-known until Pat Garrett, the sheriff that ultimately did him in, wrote a self-aggrandizing account.
But the legend lives on and that leads to today's question: why do we find outlaws so romantic? The great advances in society, the ability to live long and fulfilling lives, the heights of science and culture are all predicated on there being order. Without a social contract that allows us to be fairly confident about our ability to live without fear of one another, we couldn't do or plan and these projects are what make us who we are. All of this is threatened by by the outlaw. Yet, we love them, are drawn to them. Why?
- The Social Contract And Generations To Come
Hopefully by now, everyone has seen this clip of Elizabeth Warren. Phil, a longtime Playground friend, asked me about a claim she makes at the end. She says that "part of the underlying social contract is that you take a hunk of that [earnings] and pay...
- Presidential Comedy
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, Good brother YKW reminded me that this week marked the 24th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's famous announcement, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which...
- Is All Love Sweet?
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Barack Obama and Louis Armstrong (interesting coincidence), but also Percy Shelley. Shelley wrote All love is sweet, Given or returned. Common as light is love, And its familiar voice wearies not ever. They who...
- Marriage And Metaphysics
Today is my anniversary. Interestingly, it is also TheWife's anniversary. We did that on purpose in order to make it easier to remember. The story of our meeting is long, but suffice it to say that despite living quite far from each other, over the...
- "billy The Kid" Tintype And Tintypes
"Billy the Kid photo auctioned for $2.3 million" Private collector William Koch buys the only known tintype of the Old West outlaw. It is believed to have been made in New Mexico around 1880. June 26th, 2011 Associated Press What is believed to be the...