Paradigms are sets of assumptions about the world that condition our view of reality–worldviews that preclude recognizing other possibilities. Management consultants sometimes use paradigm theory to explain the failure of businesses to adapt to changing realities. An often-cited example is the digital watch. When inventors took the concept to Swiss watchmakers, they were dismissed because "watches have mainsprings," and a Japanese industry was created.
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Category Archives: Random Blogging
Circles
Libertarians insist that the political spectrum is not a straight line, with ?right-wingers? on one end and ?left-wingers? on the other. Instead, it is a circle, where extremists on opposite poles touch?and share a desire to impose their particular brands of political correctness on the rest of us. Extremists may disagree on ideology, but they share a real fondness for authoritarianism.
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In Over Our Heads
I was piling the food from my grocery cart onto the cashier?s conveyor when the headline caught my eye; one of the tabloids next to the checkout announced ?Now It Can Be Told: Saddaam and Osama?s Gay Wedding!? Beneath the headline was a ?photograph? of Saddaam Hussain in a suit, walking down the aisle with Osama Bin Ladin, tastefully attired in a long, white bridal gown.
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Politics and the Pendulum
Twenty-two years ago, I was a Republican candidate for Congress. I was pro-choice, pro-gay-rights, pro-free market economics, pro-civil liberties. When I lost, the commentators were unanimous in their judgments: I was simply “too conservative.”
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Civic Virtue
American history has been one long debate about the proper role of government. Taking our cue from the Founders, we worry about the tyranny of the majority or an excessive emphasis upon the rights of the individual; we decry the growth of bureaucracy or the lack of institutional compassion. Libertarians warn of the perils of…
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