Tag Archives: Blanshard

The Basic Truths Are The Same

Posted on August 8, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

My mentor Brand Blanshard, a philosophy professor at Yale, said that “the basic truths of life are the same for every honest mind, whether atheist or devotee.” My grandfather, a Methodist minister, said that “Every person you meet knows something … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy | Tagged Blanshard, Freedom, Meaning of life, Rationality, Serenity, Tolerance, Truth, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Peace Depends on Truth

Posted on June 3, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: Truth can be a matter of life and death. That’s no surprise, since it’s happened many times in history. But I want to make a much more difficult argument: A theory of … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Blanshard, Coherence, Correspondence, Maimonides, Spinoza, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Theories of Truth, Theory of truth, Tolerance, Truth | Leave a comment

Torah Parallels Are No Problem

Posted on May 17, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: Were the Jews the first people to think of monotheism? And would it matter if we weren’t? Such questions tend to worry Biblical scholars when they start comparing our Torah with other … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Atrahasis, Biblical Parallels, Blanshard, Gilgamesh, Maimonides, Moses Mendelssohn, Prophecy, Revelation, Saadia, Saadya, Spinoza, Torah | 1 Comment

For Hanukkah, Free Yourself

Posted on December 6, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: What’s the most important freedom? During Hanukkah, we celebrate religious freedom. That kind of freedom is vital. But it’s not the only kind, or even the most important. When modern people talk … Continue reading →