There is a strong case to be made for industrial societies to change over to renewable sources of energy. At the centre of the debate is the unsustainable continuing fossil fuel usage and the attendant environmental degradation. The United States is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world and has been…
Category: General
Are modes of resistance different in democracies than in monarchies?
Resistance and dissent against established institutions have proven to be difficult throughout the history of organized societies. Even today, many parts of the world languish under the rule of autocrats, plutocrats and oligarchs, where opposition to authority is silenced by coercion or crushed by force. Even in the so-called democratic countries there have been political…
Arguments in favor of Year-round Schooling
Public opinion is divided on the issue of whether or not American schools should adopt year long curriculums. But conventionally, schools across the country have adhered to schedules that would give pupils a break of three months followed by nine months of study. In recent years, some journalists and commentators have suggested that year long…
Review of Stephan Shennan’s introduction to Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution
Evolutionary biology as a field of inquiry is fairly well entrenched, with detailed and documented studies carried out over the last 150 years. The same cannot be said about cultural evolution, which is a synthesis of anthropology, archaeology and the study of human history. While evolutionary biology has come to depend on well-established methods of…
Book Report on “Freedom in Exile: An Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV”
The book titled Freedom in Exile is the autobiographical account of the life of the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet’s erstwhile theocracy. Born as Tenzin Gyatso, the life of this popular religious leader is intertwined with the political developments in his country of birth. Buddhists believe in the concept of reincarnation, whereby the soul of…
Ideological Racism vs Prejudice
How does “ideological racism” differ from prejudice? Which concept is more sociological? Why? How does institutional discrimination differ from discrimination? Ideological racism is a concept that is more entrenched into the fabric of society. In whichever society ideological racism thrives, one can expect its manifestation in the policy frameworks of leading institutions. Ideological racism is…
The Corporation Documentary – Summary – Analysis
The documentary film titled The Corporation (2003) attempts to present to the viewer different facets of this institution. The points of view presented in the mainstream media are quite different from the actual realities associated with business corporations. The documentary is based on a book written by Joel Bakan titled The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit…
Does living with someone before marriage increase your chances of divorce after marriage?
In many cultures, living with someone before marriage is strictly taboo. Yet, in liberal democratic societies in Europe and the United States, a different set of cultural values are adopted. In the latter regions pre-marital relationships are quite common. Varied sexual orientations and alternative living arrangements are also taking shape. There is also a tendency…
Book Review: Gambling with the Future by Yale D. Belanger
The history of the social and economic impoverishment of aborigines of North America in general and Canada in particular is fairly well documented. But the effect of European colonization and settlements in Canada has had a destructive effect on aboriginal gaming and gambling as well. This latter aspect of the history of aboriginal life under…
How to quit smoking?
Introduction: Many people who fall addicted to smoking find it very hard to stop the habit. Yet, they must put in their best efforts to quit smoking, which will otherwise lead to serious health consequences. For people with a long time addiction to smoking, the task of weaning off the habit might seem impossible. But…