By Terry Newell from Huffington Post "On March 4, 1865, with the Civil War finally approaching a victorious conclusion, Abraham Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address. Rather than satisfy the audience's thirst for celebration and revenge, Lincoln gave a sermon on the meaning of the war...

By David Schaefer from First Principles. "My title is intended to provoke. Surely all decent people want politicians to behave in an ethical manner—not to lie, cheat, or steal. What I have in mind, however, is the tendency of contemporary academic writers on political theory, ethics, and jurisprudence...

By Michael Bond | New Scientist "It sounds kind of obvious, and a little trite: the world would be a better place to live in if we were all a bit kinder to each other. But how can we make that happen? This is fast becoming a valid scientific question. Psychologists and neuroscientists are exploring...

By Jeremy Mercer from Ode Magazine "The City of Yonkers, New York, wound up in a distressing predicament early this year. The municipal budget was running a deficit and the economic crisis was sorely aggravating the problem. Layoffs were needed and among the casualties were six firefighters, including...

This column makes some interesting observations and assertions about morality and the virtues in politics. "Democratic citizenship is a decidedly moral undertaking; that is to say, republics are founded on the possibility of public virtue. It is essential, however, to distinguish public virtue from...

By Rabbi David Wolpe "Why do we read the Bible? For religion to be sure, but also for politics. After all, unlike the New Testament, which was written in the era of Roman rules and did not have to offer prescriptions for governance (the Romans handled all that), the Bible was a manual not only for...