Author: Scott Koenig

Bladders and Willpower in King Louis XIV’s France

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King Louis XIV, according to some historical accounts, had an extraordinarily resilient bladder. That is, he had a nearly superhuman ability to postpone his trips to the chamberpot whenever he found it strategically advantageous. And it turns out that as the most powerful leader of an entire continent, as a monarch who regularly hosted and negotiated with foreign dignitaries at his opulent palace at Versailles, he was given many opportunities to leverage his unique physiological gift.

Continue reading “Peed Us Not Into Temptation”

 We want those around us to be good—but not too good.

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A version of this article has been published by Nautilus

At the beginning of the final debate of the 1988 presidential election, Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis, a lifelong opponent of capital punishment, was asked whether he would support the death penalty if his wife, Kitty, were raped and murdered. He quickly and coolly said no.

It was a surprising, deeply personal, and arguably inappropriate question, but in demonstrating an unwavering commitment to his principles, Dukakis had handled it well. Or so he thought.

Continue reading “Why don’t we like virtuous people?”

We tend to put empathy on a pedestal. You can find almost religious reverence of it all over the internet, including business blogs, self-help articles, and even guides on how to fix the world. Its appeal is evident—it can strengthen our relationships and spur us to commit acts of kindness. But if we cut through the rosy din, we find that empathy may have a dark underside. Gaining traction in the fields of social psychology and moral philosophy is the opinion that empathy often corrupts our sense of morality and, in aggregate, makes the world worse.

Continue reading “Re-evaluating empathy”

A nation’s tax system is in many ways a reflection of its priorities. The United States offers tax exempt status to places of worship because of our culture’s deep ties to religion. We impose excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco in part because we want to discourage their use. The latest example is a bill set for a vote in the Senate next week. Its authors aim to drastically change how we prioritize higher education: They plan to make it unnecessarily difficult to earn a graduate degree, and in doing so, they threaten to deal irrevocable damage to scientific progress.

Continue reading “On the #GradStudentTax”