Did you ever wonder why dictators love military parades?
Edwin A Locke
Edwin A. Locke is Dean's Professor of Leadership and Motivation Emeritus at the R.H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.
He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial & Organizational Behavior, and the Academy of Management. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (Society for I/O Psychology), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Management (OB Division), the J. M. Cattell Award (APS) and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Academy of Management.
He, with Gary Latham, has spent over 50 years developing Goal Setting Theory, ranked No. 1 in importance among 73 management theories. He has published over 320 chapters, articles, reviews and notes, and has authored or edited 13 books including (w. Kenner) The Selfish Path to Romance, (w. Latham) New Directions in Goal Setting and Task Performance, and The Prime Movers: Traits of the Great Wealth Creators. He is internationally known for his research on motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, and other topics.
His website is: EdwinLocke.com
The Afghanistan Fiasco was Based on a Philosophical Error
The disintegration of the Afghanistan army after the U.S. withdrawal should not have come as a surprise to anyone. It was based on a philosophical error.
Some Comments on the Issue of American Slavery
Condemning slavery is morally right. Slavery is an evil institution because it is a total violation of individual rights. However, before one judges America and its founding fathers, it is important to be aware of history.
The Mind of the Dictator
The core problem in opposing dictatorships is the moral self-doubt of our politicians and that of other free countries.
Book Review: “The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can’t Cure Our Social Ills”
The theme of Jesse Singal’s book, The Quick Fix: Why Fad Psychology Can’t Cure Our Social Ills, is that many psychological theories that have promised a quick fix for various social problems have not lived up to their hype. Singal does a very good expose, although there is more to be said in some cases. I will make brief comments on each chapter.
Capitalism is Egoism for All
We know from Atlas Shrugged, and many other Ayn Rand writings, that capitalists are egoists. They trade to make a profit, and this is morally admirable. They are wealth creators. But it is important not to forget that customers and employees are egoists too.
A Message to Graduating Students
If you want to lead a successful life, our most urgent advice to you is to reject your professors’ assaults on reason and individualism.
Celebrate Capitalism This May Day
We should not only allow global capitalism; we should welcome it and foster it in every way possible. It is time to rephrase Karl Marx: Workers of the world unite for global capitalism; you have nothing to lose but your poverty.
Let Us Be Clear Once and For All: Socialism Is Not at Root About Economics!
For the Conservatives, Capitalism is moral only to the extent that the capitalist lives to serve others. Self-interest can be smuggled silently in but not as a moral right or as a moral ideal. This means that “creeping socialism” always has the advantage and thus creeps unabated.
Observations on Today’s Political Situation in the U.S.
The ‘progressive’ left and ‘conservative’ right are two sides of a damaged coin. The two sides have differences, but they also have important elements in common, although these are manifested in somewhat different forms.
Michael Sandel’s Tyranny of the “Common Good”
Sandel’s bottom line: you did not earn anything. It is all determined or blind luck. Sandel’s goal is to induce unearned guilt in everyone who does well in life.
Socialism’s Real Agenda: Destruction of the Human Soul
At the deepest level socialism entails the destruction of the human soul- which means the destruction of the mind, of rights, of values, of hope, of freedom- the turning of helpless victims into frightened, selfless beggars hoping for a crust of bread. This is the real meaning and motive of socialist “idealism.”
Reason and Individualism: The Antidote to Racism
It is important to recognize that people are not prisoners of their subconscious and have the power to re-program it by correcting false ideas, including racism, through reason.
Reason, Freedom & Science: July Fourth Celebrates America’s and the West’s Core Values
There are three fundamental respects in which Western culture is objectively the best.
Rational Selfishness and the Great Wealth Creator
People are most often confused by executives who seem to share attributes of both the inflated and the genuine egoist
On Tax Day Thank the Rich and Support Lifting the Tax Yoke off Them
Opponents of tax cuts do not want justice. They want redistribution of wealth
The Only Cure for Racism
If diversity is the cure for racism, why, instead of promoting racial harmony, has it brought racial division and conflict? It is now taken as a virtual axiom that the way to cure racism is through the promulgation of racial and ethnic diversity within corporations,...
Mao: The Unknown Story
I just finished reading: Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, Knopf, 2005. I do not necessarily recommend this book--not because it is bad--but because the content is so disgusting (though factual). Mao is clearly the worst monster in world history....
The Greatness of Western Civilization
In this age of diversity-worship, it is considered virtually axiomatic that all cultures are equal. Western culture, claim the intellectuals, is in no way superior to that of African tribalists or Eskimo seal hunters. There are no objective standards, they say, that...
On Flag Day Celebrate America’s Core Values: Reason and Individual Rights
Not since the Revolutionary War has America faced a greater threat to its existence than it does today. A worldwide network of terrorists is bent on destroying us and everything we value. All the more reason to make clear on Flag Day the principles for which we stand....
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