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Many people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. War does not determine who is right - only who is left. The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones. Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country. Mathematics takes us into the region of absolute necessity, to which not only the actual word, but every possible word, must conform. Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free. More quotes from Bertrand Russell , here .

Sometimes what we need is a good ole fashion revolution. That is the case being by Robert Higgs for America. The beginning of political wisdom is the realization that despite everything you’ve always been taught, the government is not really on your side; indeed, it is out to get you. Read more in his commentary, post at the Independent Institute .

The Edge Foundation has published their annual question, with responses coming in from 165 of our great thinkers. As usual, the question is weighty, with the answers thought provoking -- hopefully enough to spur an intelligent dialogue. The question: When thinking changes your mind, that's philosophy. When God changes your mind, that's faith. When facts change your mind, that's science. WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY? Science is based on evidence. What happens when the data change? How have scientific findings or arguments changed your mind? On the surface, the question doesn't appear to have much depth, and could easily lead to a dismissal of the answers as being the navel gazing of those who consider themselves the intellectual elite. Such a dismissal, however, would be very narrow minded. As a society, we tend to look down on those that change their minds -- pointedly dismissing them as being inconsistent and never being able to stick to an opi...

What would happen if ... At 7:15AM, at a busy hub for workers heading off to cubicle hell ... "One of the finest classical musicians in the world" -- say ... Joshua Bell ... dressed incognito ... Pulled out a handcrafted violin, made by Antonio Stradivari in 1713, and worth over $3M ... And started "playing some of the most elegant music ever written" ... Would anyone stop to listen? Joshua Bell's performance at the L'Enfant Plaza, just outside the Metro in Washington, was arranged by the Washington Post. It was "an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?" The acoustics proved surprisingly kind. Though the arcade is of utilitarian design, a buffer between the Metro escalator and the outdoors, it somehow caught the sound and bounced it back round and resonant. The violin is an instrument that is said to be much...