Man Of Jackistan: Reason and Truth's Time and Place

"Symptoms of Infection--and I Don't Just Mean Coronavirus" Rant # 10 (Opinion) Originally March 12, 2020 The coronavirus (COVID-19) dominates the news cycle this week, though not only viruses infect the people of earth: we as a species succumb to many different kinds of infectious and fatal waves. The World Health Organization (WHO) has just classified the coronavirus as a global pandemic. Several thousand people have died all across the world, with that number rising in the United States. Colleges have instructed students not to return from spring break--many will facilitate classes online instead. New York City has cancelled events with over 500 people. And it will only get worse before it gets better. Major indices point to this outbreak causing a recession. On Monday, oil prices fell dramatically. That sounds good as a consumer: paying less at the pump, what's not to love? However, a drop in oil prices is a bad omen for the markets. Stock prices drop...

Q&A: "Were The Dark Ages Actually A Time of Cultural Regression Outside of Europe?" originally composed January 14, 2019 Question: "Were the Dark Ages actually a time of cultural regression outside Europe?" Defining and then measuring culture is tricky. For this answer, let’s say that the hallmarks of a civilization include economic prosperity, trade and material wealth, urbanization, safety/security (no invading armies, no rebellions, lower rates of starvation, etc), scientific achievements and prowess, advanced construction and production (be it huge monuments, state-of-the-art boats, or whatever), and artistic achievement. So, based on that measure: No. Actually, while the eurocentric viewpoint teaches us that after the Fall of Rome—the Western part, containing Italy, France, England etc—marked a sudden decline in science, culture, commerce, art, that simply doesn't hold true across the entire globe. The Visigoths, under Alaric I, ...