Posted inPhilosophy
Equality Is Impossible: Part I
There is a certain way that philosophers talk that make them sound, to outsiders, like they're spouting nonsense. Take David Miller, for example. He writes on the subject of equality…
Posted inCulture
Ground Zero Mosque vs Baghdad Christian Church?
Its proposed location isn't precisely "ground zero" and it isn't exactly a mosque. Its meant to be a few blocks away and is designated a "cultural center." Sharif El-Gamal wants…
Posted inCulture
Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don’t Care?
The Onion reports on a shocking new statistical study. Warning: some foul language. If the stream doesn't work, click the link below the video window. In The Know: Are Tests…
Posted inFun
Global Warming Political Enemies List
I wrote what follows for an editor who, lucky fellow that he is, has moved on to better things. So, in order not to waste these precious pearls (and to…
Posted inPhilosophy
The Big Question: A Beginning
A reader has asked for my answer to The Big Question. This isn't it; but it's a start. In his Mind, Language, and Society, John Searle tells of a dinner…
Posted inPhilosophy
Spot The Logical Fallacy!
It's time to play everybody's favorite game: Spot The Logical Fallacy! Each week (or whenever we get round to it), we pull quotations from news reports from around the world…
Posted inStatistics
The Imperfectibility of Politics: Voting And Unhappiness
You're stuck in a motel because of a business meeting. It's 6 o' the clock post meridian, and you're hungry. The town in which you must linger is small and…
Posted inCulture
Power Balance Bracelets And Celebrity
Power to the people! In the form of a small silicone bracelet into which is embedded a Star-Trek-The-Next-Generation-esque hologram (an entire deck being outside the range of present technology). Athletes…