Tag Archives: Philosophy

Utopia’s Biggest Problem

Posted on July 21, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

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 | 1 Comment

Making Peace with “the Passions”

Posted on December 12, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

“But what about the passions?” It was another philosophy class in college. We were discussing some abstruse intellectual topic. And my classmate Dave was interjecting — again — a lot of irrelevant chatter about “the passions.” The passions were a … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged love, Pascal, Passion, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Morality is Choice

Posted on October 2, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

“You didn’t listen to me. You made a choice.” Continue reading →

Tagged Drama, Moral Choice, Morality, Philosophy, Responsibility | Leave a comment

You Can’t Prove God — and It Doesn’t Matter

Posted on August 1, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

“You can’t prove God’s existence. And it doesn’t matter.” Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy | Tagged Atheism, Bible, Christianity, Judaism, Logic, Philosophy, Proof, Religion, Theism | 2 Comments

Truth in All Its Varieties

Posted on July 25, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

Is truth always the same thing, or are there different kinds of truth? Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Epistemology, Logic, Philosophy, Truth | 3 Comments

Turning Around Spinoza’s Challenge

Posted on July 23, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Spinoza meant it as a taunt. But it might hold one of the keys to Jewish survival. Depending on where you sit, Baruch de Spinoza is either the founder of modern Jewish philosophy or Judaism’s deadliest critic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Descartes, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Maimonides, Mendelssohn, Philosophy, Spinoza, Times of Israel | Leave a comment

Is It Reason or Revelation?

Posted on July 11, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Apart from goofy statements made by individual philosophers, philosophy has a pretty good reputation. It uses logic, cites evidence, and presents comprehensible arguments that you can accept or reject on their merits. On the other hand, religious revelation has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Bible, Boethius, Brettler, Consolation of Philosophy, Hazony, Jewish, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Parmenides, Philosophy, Pre-Socratics, Revelation, Tanach, Torah | Leave a comment

Where You Stand Depends on Where You Start

Posted on July 9, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer We like to think that we base our beliefs only on logic and evidence, but we don’t. Don’t worry. It’s not just you. Or me. Nobody does. If we start with different assumptions, we interpret evidence differently. Based on those different interpretations, … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy | Tagged Epistemology, Horeb, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodox Judaism, Philosophy, Samson Raphael Hirsch, Science and Religion | Leave a comment

You’re Doing It Backward

Posted on July 7, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer You’re doing it backward. Well, maybe not you, but a lot of people. They’re doing it backward, according to Saadia Gaon (882 – 942 CE), the Jewish philosopher who updated Aristotle for the 10th century. Most people … Continue reading →