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Category Archives: Philosophy
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
Free Yourself and Live
“You have at least nine months. Perhaps as much as eighteen.” “The first doctor gave me from one to two years.” “I hope he’s right. What are you going to do?” “Well, I have no family. I haven’t taken a … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Science, Society
Tagged COVID-19, Fear, Freedom, Golden Age of Radio, Golden Age of Television, Lockdown, Overcoming fear, SARS-CoV-2
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Ramanujan and Me
Tomorrow, April 26, is notable for two reasons. First, it’s my birthday. I’ll be 39. Again. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Second, it’s 100 years since the death of Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of the greatest mathematical geniuses … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Science
Tagged 1729, Cambridge, Continued fractions, G.H. Hardy, Number theory, Ramanujan
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The Wisdom of James Bond
“You only live twice: Once when you are born, And once when you look death in the face.” — James Bond “James Bond” is now a movie franchise, just like “Star Wars” was. But it started out as a … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy, Psychology, Society
Tagged Fiction, Haiku, Ian Fleming, James Bond, Risk, Safety, Tradeoffs
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The Hidden Cause of Our Disagreement
Note: This blog post explains one cause of society’s basic disagreements. It is not intended to denigrate anyone on either side of the argument. It’s obvious which side I favor, but I’ve done my best to be fair. There’s a … Continue reading
Einstein Agrees with the Lone Ranger
Albert Einstein and the Lone Ranger agree: Get over yourself. Albert Einstein was one of the smartest people of the 20th century. His ideas revolutionized our understanding of space and time. They also contributed to the development of quantum mechanics. … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy
Tagged Courage, Einstein, Life, Morality, The Lone Ranger, Wisdom
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Language Does Not Equal Reality
Every Saturday, my friend Jim Grey publishes a “recommended reading” list of interesting blogs from the previous week. Today’s list linked to an article about the benefits of speaking multiple languages. Jim explained: “I used to speak German very well. … Continue reading
Posted in Epistemology, Philosophy, Psychology
Tagged Chinese, English language, Language, Multilingual, Newspeak, Objective reality, Postmodernism
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The Thousand-Year View 