Objectively Houston

In November, I launched a new website–ObjectivelyHouston.com. This is a collaborative effort with several friends to bring rational ideas to Houstonians. Below are links to a few of our posts.

Character and Preservation We are all familiar with individuals who are physically attractive but possess the character of Bernie Madoff. Rational people realize that we cannot judge an individual’s character by his appearance. Houston’s preservation movement disagrees. It holds that character is determined solely by appearances.
Chocolat and the Virtue of Independence  Brian’s article on the movie Chocolat talked about the challenge of pursuing ones values in the face of a community antithetical to those values. The virtue required for this kind of courage is independence. Independence is never placing anything above the sovereignty of one’s own mind and is a prerequisite to pursuing rational values. Chocolat dramatizes the existential results of a community of individuals devoid of independence and the transformation that occurs when this virtue is introduced in the character of Vianne and developed by several of the townspeople.
The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels  If you work in the oil industry and are tired of the environmentalists trying to make you feel guilty, it will do your heart and soul good to read The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein. And if you are not in the industry, this book will provide some fascinating insights.