I would want to nuance this a bit, and I think the argument is much more applicable to scientific and medical matters than elsewhere, but it needs to be heard rather widely:   5 reasons why anecdotes are totally worthless     Read more

    Obviously, not everything here fits altogether well with a Latter-day Saint approach to the matter.  But it’s interesting and funny.  (I think so, anyway.)   http://nautil.us/issue/33/attraction/shell-text-me-shell-text-me-not     Read more

    I love this story, both because it’s about service and because it involves service to people of another faith — service of a kind that some would never expect to come from Latter-day Saints, with our exclusive truth claims and our belief in a universal Christian apostasy:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865647986/Youth-help-at-Haitian-church.html?pg=all     Read more

    Mr. Donald Trump has repeatedly ridiculed Jeb Bush, hit Dr. Ben Carson for his religious faith, mocked former POW John McCain as a “loser” for having been shot down over North Vietnam, sneered at a disabled disabled man, branded Mexicans as rapists and murderers, called Ted Cruz a “liar” and threatened to sue him for having quoted Mr. Trump’s own words, made grossly sexist remarks about Megyn Kelly, and on and on and on and on.  The British... Read more

    The Bible and the Book of Mormon both clearly teach that the Lord works through particular lineages, chosen peoples, selected families.   However, today’s reading, 2 Nephi 30, makes it clear that these aren’t exclusive clubs.  Those chosen people aren’t necessarily more righteous than others, and righteous outsiders can, through their faithfulness, be effectively adopted into the chosen people.   “For,” in the words of the apostle Paul, “they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6).   As John the... Read more

    The Interpreter Foundation was conceived in late July 2012.  Nine days later, Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture published its first article.   A great deal has been accomplished since then.  But Interpreter’s first volume still contains interesting and worthwhile material, well worth a look back:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/journal/volume-1-2012/     Read more

    My latest column in the Deseret News:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865647914/Remembering-the-history-of-the-LDS-Church-on-the-Hawaiian-Islands.html     Read more

      Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.   Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.   If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.   Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.   Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.   It is... Read more

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/31/readers-editor-on-readers-comments-below-the-line   This is a major problem for newspapers and magazines and etc. around the world.  Toxic commenters dominate, while civil and substantive people avoid the comments sections because they can’t stand the low level of discourse.  It’s a major reason for the creation of The World Table:   https://www.worldtable.co   Although I rarely have such problems on this blog, I myself intend to convert my comment section here to The World Table fairly soon.   Posted from... Read more

    Thanks to Loran Blood for bringing this item, written by one of my favorite economists and political commentators, to my notice:   http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/02/16/tragedy_and_choices__129669.html   I’m considerably more positive toward Marco Rubio than Dr. Sowell is, but, overall, I agree with him.  I certainly agree with him, given the challenges that we face, in his judgment that the presidential campaign thus far — especially on the Republican side — has been dangerously irresponsible and frivolous.   And I fear that... Read more