Entries by MercatorNet - Navigating Modern Complexities

Self-Determined Gender Opens Up A Can Of Worms

An Ecuadorian man has changed his gender to gain custody of his children. “Self-determined gender is a cornerstone of a person’s identity. The resulting obligation of States is to provide access to gender recognition in a manner consistent with the rights to freedom from discrimination, equal protection of the law, privacy, identity and freedom of […]

‘What Is A Woman?’: A Provocative Look at the Transgender Debate

These days, dead white males do not count for much. But we still have the legacy of an exceptional man who went around Athens asking people to provide basic definitions. In so doing, he proved to many that they were not as knowledgeable as they thought themselves to be. This man’s questions annoyed many, and […]

One group of Americans has the highest fertility in the world. It doubles every 20 years.

In the 1400s the printing press revolutionized Europe, enabling mass distribution of printed material fast. The Reformation roiled Europe in the 1500s, in no small measure due to Gutenberg’s invention. In the wake of Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli came a variety of sects, including the radical Anabaptists, who believed in adult baptism and strict separation […]

‘I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am a Christian!’ Italy’s unashamedly, defiantly pro-family new leader

Who on earth possesses the unmitigated insolence to publicly assert a Christian, Italian and family identity? In the wee hours of Monday, September 26, thousands of Italian patriots rallied in Rome. The star attraction was a diminutive down-to-earth family-friendly fireball who had just made history with a stunning election victory. She hurled a bolt of […]

Is Thomas Sowell one of the most important thinkers of our time?

‘Maverick’ is an outstanding intellectual biography of this prolific African-American economist. Fans of Thomas Sowell have been eagerly awaiting the new biography by Jason Riley, with the appetite being whetted by the release of Riley’s one hour documentary on Sowell’s life in January. This is not a standard biography. Apart from providing a basic overview of Sowell’s […]

‘I thought crypto exchanges were safe’: The lesson in FTX’s collapse

The safest way to store cryptocurrency is in your own crypto wallet. Anthony* (a friend) called a few weeks ago, deeply worried. A deputy principal of a high school in Queensland, over the past year he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars buying cryptocurrencies, borrowing money using his home as equity. But now all his […]

Political and Scientific Censorship Short-circuits the Quest for Truth

Those who seek to streamline online discourse, according to “official standards”, end up impoverishing public debate. Over the course of the past decade, numerous regulatory authorities, both public and private, have increasingly positioned themselves as guardians of the integrity of our public sphere, standing watch over the content of information, and flagging or suppressing information […]

The Twitter Files: My Paranoia Has Been Vindicated

‘Twitter is both a social media company and a crime scene,’ says Elon Musk, its new owner. In October, following months of speculation and controversy, Elon Musk closed on his deal to acquire Twitter. Among the most valuable assets Musk obtained in the US$43 billion purchase were reams of secret internal communications amongst Twitter executives. […]

The Hidden Spiritual Humanism in James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’

The popular sci fi film is more than a spectacular display of technology and artistry. ‘Avatar’, released in 2009, is the highest-grossing film in history. The sequel, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, will be released later this month. A third and fourth sequels are in production. Rudolph Lambert Fernandez takes a look at the values […]

Troubling Trends: Is the Christian Era coming to a Close?

Secularisation is decimating the world’s largest faith group. We live in precarious times. The world is changing in ways we could not fathom a short forty years ago. Believing Christians, pro-family advocates and patriotic folks are fast becoming today’s marginalised communities. For centuries the West, aka “Western Christendom”, was a dynamic and expanding enterprise that […]

After the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’, will the U.S. follow Spain down the ‘disrespect for marriage’ rabbit hole?

Spain is on the way to recognising 16 types of families, none of them the traditional nuclear family. The Respect for Marriage Act has sailed through the US Senate, amidst great jubilation. Twelve Republicans, including former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, voted with Democrats to pass the legislation by a vote of 61-36. Now it goes to […]

The unsung pro-family heroes of Eastern Europe

Serious pro-family initiatives are underway. I wish I had a dollar for every time some two-bit politician blathers about “family values.” Name a politician who is not for family values. Name one who is for terrorism or drug abuse. You get the picture. In today’s “democracy”, such trash talk is stock-in-trade for pandering to a pathetic, pervasive bread-and-circuses mentality. […]

The power couple on a mission to save the world from demographic disaster

Malcolm and Simone Collins have a game plan for pulling humanity back from the brink. This month, the 8 billionth child entered the world. Demographers believe that the world’s population is moving towards 10 billion. But at some point, the curve will begin to move downwards. Families will shrink. People everywhere (except sub-Saharan Africa) will […]

The bitter global harvest of outlawing motherhood

‘Parenthood is sublime. It is the greatest and most transcendent of human achievements.’ According to the best guesses of those tracking the population of the world, last week the world passed a major milestone: the 8 billionth person was born on earth. The global population is projected to continue rising for the next few decades, and then […]

Oh say, will that star-spangled banner yet wave?

It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. With all the division and vitriol in American politics and culture nowadays, some people are asking whether the United States might literally come apart. And since “some people” includes my editor, I draw upon my professional training as a historian to say, yes, it absolutely could, […]