The Partisan Advantage and Constitutional Hardball

The Partisan Advantage and Constitutional Hardball

What causes constitutional hardball? What happens when one side of a political system breaks the unwritten democratic norms to secure a partisan advantage over its opponent side? In their book How Democracies Die, authors Levitsky and Ziblatt argue that when one party secures a short-term partisan advantage by breaking unwritten democratic norms, the other party is likely to retaliate. These tit-for-tat dynamics create a so-called constitutional hardball that erodes democratic values of mutual toleration and institutional forbearance. Here is how breaking the unwritten democratic norms to secure a partisan advantage jeopardizes democracy.

Why Do We Remember Certain Things But Not Others?

Why Do We Remember Certain Things But Not Others?

Why do we remember certain things but forget others? What makes an experience memorable? According to Chip and Dan Heath, the authors of The Power of Moments, there are two psychological factors that make an experience memorable: 1) the peak-end rule and 2) novelty and unexpectedness. Once you understand the psychology behind memorable moments, you can engineer small, everyday moments to stand out in your memory just as much as special moments.  In this article, we’ll explore what makes a moment memorable, and how you can engineer memorable moments on demand.

Why We Have Different Levels of Sexual Sensitivity

Why We Have Different Levels of Sexual Sensitivity

What determines a person’s sexual responsiveness? Why are some people more sensitive to sexual stimuli than others? We all have different levels of sexual sensitivity: some people are more responsive to sexual stimuli than others. How sensitive a person is to stimuli in the environment determines their sexual needs. According to sex researcher Emily Nagoski, this boils down to the sensitivity of the Sexual Excitation System (SES) vs. the Sexual Inhibition System (SIS). Keep reading to learn about the two systems’ role in sexual sensitivity.

The Future of Democracy in the United States

The Future of Democracy in the United States

What does the future hold in store for the representative government in the United States? Do you think democracy will recover or will the country inevitably slide into authoritarianism? According to Levitsky and Ziblatt, the authors of How Democracies Die, there are three possible scenarios for the future of democracy in the United States: 1) recovery, 2) authoritarian takeover, and 3) worsening party polarization. In this article, we’ll explore what they believe might lie ahead for American democracy.

Ethical Wealth: Is It Good to Strive for Riches?

Ethical Wealth: Is It Good to Strive for Riches?

Is there such a thing as ethical wealth? In other words, do you think it’s moral to strive to be wealthy? Some people argue that wanting wealth and taking part in our capitalist system is immoral. According to financial educator Robert Kiyosaki, wealth is just a means to an end, the end being the freedom to do what you want with your time. While the means by which wealth is acquired can be immoral, wanting wealth in itself is not—no one can be blamed for wanting freedom. Here is why it’s good to want wealth, according to Kiyosaki.

The Peak-End Rule: What Makes a Memory

The Peak-End Rule: What Makes a Memory

What is the peak-end rule? How does the peak-end rule determine what you remember about an experience? The peak-end rule states that when people reflect on an experience, they tend to ignore the duration of the experience. Instead, they focus on two key parts: 1) the emotional peaks—the moments of strongest positive or negative emotion, and 2) the end of the experience. Here is why the peaks always stand out in memory, blurring the rest as background.

How Democracies Die: Review and Critical Reception

How Democracies Die: Review and Critical Reception

Is Levitsky and Ziblatt’s book How Democracies Die worth reading? Did the success of Trump—an inexperienced outsider with possibly authoritarian instincts—suggest that democracy in the U.S. is backsliding?  In How Democracies Die, authors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt set out to analyze democracy’s long-term prospects for survival in the United States. To this end, they examine the historical processes by which democratic norms and institutions came to extinction in other countries in the 20th and 21st centuries and offer a blueprint for how to save the U.S. This How Democracies Die review covers the book’s context, background, and critical reception

The Problem With Working for Money—It’s a Trap

Why Socioeconomic Status and Depression Are Linked

Why is working for money no longer secure? What are the dangers of relying on employment to generate income? According to Robert Kiyosaki, working for money is no longer a safe bet for financial security, much less financial freedom. He says that people who generate income from the work they do (employees, self-employed, and small business owners) are at a much higher risk today than they were in the past because of the economic changes that took place over the past half-century. Here is what’s wrong with working for money, according to Kiyosaki.

Goals! by Brian Tracy: Overview & Key Takeaways

Goals! by Brian Tracy: Overview & Key Takeaways

What is Brian Tracy’s book Goals! about? What is the key message you can take away from the book? In his book Goals!, motivational speaker Brian Tracy shares the mindset and the steps that will help you reach your goals in the shortest amount of time. As we’ll explore, he believes that goal-setting requires changing your mindset, being clear about what you want, using visualization, and keeping track of your progress. Once you have set this foundation, you can start setting and achieving your goals. Here is a brief overview of Goals! by Brian Tracy.