Argue Like a Man: Understanding Logical Fallacies, Part 3
Every man needs to know how to persuade. Everything from buying a car, asking for a raise, advocating for a client, or convincing your significant other to go to the steakhouse over the French bistro involves the subtle art of persuasion. This eight-part segment is dedicated to teaching men how to argue by explaining the...
Debate: Are Modern Men Manly Enough?
Recently, the New York Times published a series of short essays in their “Room for Debate” segment (hat tip to Tom from Taun for sending me the link). The question for debate was, “Are Modern Men Manly Enough?” and, of course, I was intrigued. As usual, the writers had a nostalgia for the past, back...
4 Coming of Age Rituals for Men
Hazing, becoming a man, initiation, breaking someone in, and starting someone off. Whatever you want to call it, these types of rituals span the entire ambit of human life and cultures. However, they are all premised on the same fundamental idea: that the participant will be a different person after an event than you were...
Vegetables Threaten Manliness?
Move over nail polish for men, step aside Ikea man-daycare, and get lost insurgence of electronics; the real threat to manliness is here: vegetables. Yes, you read correctly. That naturally unnatural green plague that flows forth from the ground serves no purpose but to steal your manliness away from you. Well, all this according to a recent...
Bertrand Russell’s Ten Commandments
One of my favorite thinkers of all time, Bertrand Russell, once wrote a set of his own ten commandments in 1930. The article was published in a magazine and spread like wildfire. Later, in 1951, he revised his commandments and directed them particularly at teachers. Despite the intended audience, the commandments are particularly applicable and...
5 Men Who Sold Their Soul to the Devil
Stories of men who sold their soul to the devil in exchange for some sort of ability or object go as far back as the concept of the devil itself. Many people were killed as a result of these bargains, and many of them enjoyed a huge amount of short-lived worldly success. These are the...
Santorum’s Threat to Manliness
One of the most interesting time periods in American politics for me is always election season. While I by no means obsess over every detail of every campaign, there are some candidates who always seem to find a way to propose some of the most backwards or offensive objectives that they are hard to ignore....
Protecting Your Home: The Castle Doctrine
It’s 3:00 AM and you hear someone in your family’s home. This is not a situation anyone wants to face, and each person will react differently. Some grab a gun and make for the intruder, some call the police and gather the family and keep them safe. In situations like this, look to Roosevelt’s words...
Inspiration: Create, Don’t Wait
One of my favorite people in the world, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, recently answered a question that I often ask people when I interview them. In response to the question, “What can you tell a young man looking for motivation in life itself?” he replied: The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that...
Avoiding the Pyrrhic Victory
Self-proclaimed descendant of Achilles, King Pyrrhus of Epirus was a Century military leader who, in 280 BCE, is known best for his battle with the Romans. In a war taking his namesake, Pyrrhus defeated the Romans during the Pyrrhic war, a series of battles to try and quell Roman influence. After his victory, the Greek...
Know Your Hardwoods
There are 8 major types of widely used hardwoods. While I’m no expert in woodworking, this article should serve as a starting point for learning about the various types of woods and how to use them properly. 1. Mahogany Mahogany is a dark wood that gets darker over time. Mahogany is one of the finest...
Iowa State Daily Discusses Manliness
In a well-written opinion piece by Iowa State student Barry Snell, traditional notions of manliness are challenged much in the same way I distinguished machismo versus manliness. In his article, he writes: Manliness now appears to be thought of as some sort of sexism, an outmoded way of male behavior or a belief system, or...
