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Category Archives: Philosophy
Celebrating Pi Day
Today, March 14, is “Pi Day.” The date matches the first three digits of pi, 3.14. On the Nerd Calendar, Pi Day is even more important than Festivus or G.H. Hardy‘s birthday. Pi is the ratio between a circle’s circumference … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy, Science
Tagged Ancient Egypt, Ancient mathematics, Geometry, Irrational numbers, Pi, Pi Day, Pythagoreans, Rhind Papyrus
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Character Is Destiny — For Nations, Too
China is our geopolitical adversary, but the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius had some advice that might help us in these difficult times. He said: “Only after a person has demeaned himself will others demean him. Only after a great family … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Political Science
Tagged America, Anarcho-Tyranny, Anarchy, George Washington, Mencius, Rules of Civility, Self-Respect
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The Declaration’s Missing Word
Many recent social conflicts might have been avoided if the American Declaration of Independence had added one simple word. The Declaration’s second paragraph states the political ideals on which it was based: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that … Continue reading
Utopia’s Biggest Problem
Blogger Marcus Ampe has written a thoughtful essay about utopianism. But he’s realistic about the impossibility of creating a perfect society. He wants, instead, to think about ways we can make society better. That’s a practical goal for which we … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society
Tagged Goals, Happiness, History, Humility, Morality, Philosophy, Social Change, Social harmony, Social Peace, Tolerance, Utopianism
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In Defense of Misguided People
Misguided people are all around us. Of course, which people we call misguided depends on how misguided we are, ourselves. So I want to say a few words in defense of misguided people. They might not know the facts I … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Psychology
Tagged Charity, Division of labor, Forgiveness, Honesty, Human motivation, Humility, Knowledge, Limits of knowledge
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Why Beliefs Divide Us
Why do beliefs divide us? This will sound like a joke, but it’s the truth: Beliefs divide us because it’s part of their job. We usually think of beliefs simply as being about facts: Two plus two equals four. Flowers … Continue reading
Why People Are Not Things
Is it ever justified to treat people unequally? Before you try to answer, notice something about the question: It’s not a factual question. It doesn’t ask what is, but what ought to be. We might include facts in our answer, but … Continue reading
Two Beliefs That Don’t Conflict
Some beliefs are inconsistent with each other. If you hold one of the beliefs, then you can’t hold the other. For example: The number 5 is less than the number 10. The number 5 is not less than the number … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Philosophy, Psychology
Tagged Choice, Human Rights, Moral Choice, Moral persons, Morality, Naturalistic fallacy
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Is Cosplay the Same as Reality?
You might think it’s a joke, but I have a few serious questions. To me, the answers are obvious, but they’re obviously not obvious to everyone. “Cosplay” (costume play) means dressing up as a fictional character. Some people earn a … Continue reading
