"Man must have just enough faith in himself to have adventures, and just enough doubt of himself to enjoy them." G.K. Chesterton in Orthodoxy
It's really exciting that The Environment: A True Story has made its basic funding target on Kickstarter and the project will definitely be going forward. If you've contributed, let me repeat how grateful I am. It's because of you that I'm able to proceed. And I do appreciate how many other worthy demands there are on your resources. If you haven't contributed, let me remind you that anyone who puts in any sum, even just $1 dollar, will be listed in the credits unless they request anonymity. Given the unpleasant rhetoric that accompanies the misleading science of the climate alarmists, it makes a difference to have people stand up against the sneering and be counted on the side of clarity and decency.
Look, if you're in a position to make a substantial contribution I'm keen to have it. We do have a stretch target and all sorts of things we'd like to include in the project if we can fit them into the budget. But regardless, if you want to take a stand, put in a dollar, or two, or ten between now and Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT and I'll be proud to add your name to the nearly 500 people already on the list of backers.
Thanks.
"No one can possibly say where the historian’s work ceases, and the journalist’s begins. The present is continuously in process of becoming the past: the frontier of history ends only with yesterday’s newspaper. A good journalist casts anxious and inquiring glances over his shoulder, and a good historian lifts his eyes from the page to look at the world around him…. Thucydides was writing not merely a history but an anguished record of contemporary events, in which he had acted and suffered…. Walter Raleigh, in his History of the World, was directing a gigantic and angry editorial to the subjects of James I." Paul Johnson The Offshore Islanders
"The reduction of uncertainty is a matter to which too little attention is paid." Brian Lee Crowley, speaking to the Institute for Liberal Studies "Canadian Property Rights" Conference in Calgary October 17, 2014
In my latest National Post column I argue, despite generally opposing efforts to remake the world in our image, that in situations as bad as Syria our common humanity obliges us to act.
"Whacha doin'?" "Getting rich!"
"Really?"
"Yep. I’m writing a self-help book! There’s a huge market for this stuff. First, you convince people there’s something wrong with them. That’s easy because advertising has already conditioned people to feel insecure about their weight, looks, social status, sex appeal, and so on. Next, you convince them that the problem is not their fault and that they’re victims of larger forces. That’s easy, because it’s what people believe anyway. Nobody wants to be responsible for his own situation. Finally, you convince them that with your expert advice and encouragement, they can conquer their problem and be happy!"
"Ingenious. What problem will you help people solve?"
"Their addiction to self-help books! My book is called, 'Shut up and stop whining: How to do something with your life besides think about yourself.'"
"You should probably wait for the advance before you buy anything."
"The trouble is… if my program works, I won’t be able to write a sequel."
Hobbes and Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes June 1993
The audio-only version is here: [podcast title="Ask the Professor, April 10"]http://www.thejohnrobson.com/podcast/John2017/April/Ask_Professor_89.mp3[/podcast]