Archives for Articles
Online game to simulate South African elections
At the end of September 2017, the eCivix South African Election Simulator will be released as a free-to-play online game. The game will be totally free, with no sign up…
Review by peers is essential for high-quality research
This is a commentary on: “How to fix the academic peer review system” by Alex Welte and Eduard Grebe published in GroundUP on 3 August 2017. The authors immediately make…
Torch-light rally in Charlottesville casts spotlight on Trump’s bigotry
America President Donald Trump’s rather meek and non-specific response to the death of three people – most prominently an anti-neo-Nazi demonstrator – has, seemingly, half of America up in arms.…
Why humans persist in believing in universal morality: The need to believe (Part 1)
All human belief systems (secular ideologies as well as religions) are based upon the conviction that all human behaviour is governed by one unique moral code which is fixed, objective…
Toward a new electoral system for South Africa
In May 2017 the Rational Standard carried a piece by Nicholas Babaya calling for a number of democratic reforms in South Africa. The first was the introduction of a two-round…
Can the Oceans of Sub-Saharan Africa be its Gateway to Economic Prosperity?
CNN recently published an article presenting the decay across the oceans of Sub-Saharan Africa. It identified years of neglect and insecurity as two reasons the “blue economy” is contributing less…
Towards a more rational understanding or racialism
Racialism is a major social problem in the West today, and as such is necessarily condemned morally by society at large. As a social phenomenon, however, there are two fundamental…
Gun rights and our dying institutions
Fourth of July holds a special place in the hearts of Americans, not least because it is their celebration of their obtainment of freedom and the establishment of their country;…
The Emperor is Naked & Other Lessons from the No Confidence Secret Vote
The Emperor is indeed naked but as South Africans learned on the 8th of August 2017 amid the outcome of the secret ballot vote of no confidence in Jacob Zuma,…
Women’s Day – Reviewing Books on the Liberty of Women
South Africa has witnessed unprecedented infringements of liberty, particularly that of women and young girls. Women's Month comes after a wave of increasing cases of femicide, FeesMustFall naked protests, and…