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Papal Tensions

April 23, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

The pope came and went. Two aspects of his proclamations stood out: on the one hand, his call for more authority and obedience, especially when it comes to the demands of the Catholic church; on the other hand, his condemnation of the sexual abuse inflicted by his priests. Did he not notice a tension between […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-04-23 00:04:082013-10-15 00:04:29Papal Tensions

The Paradox of Democracy

April 1, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

In order for democracy to be acceptable, it needs to be combined with legal protections for the rights of minorities (gays, atheists, et al), or else there will be a tyranny of majority rule. But these protections cannot be made subject to the will of the majority or they lose their point and force. So, […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-04-01 00:03:322013-10-15 00:03:51The Paradox of Democracy

Stupidity

March 30, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

Now that really is a taboo word. You must never call anyone stupid! But aren’t some people just plain stupid? And isn’t stupidity the source of much of the world’s misery? I’d like to see a “Stupidity Science” movement in which the phenomenon is studied and taxonomized and explained–and remedied. I am certainly not a […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-03-30 00:03:012013-10-15 00:03:22Stupidity

Democracy

March 11, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

I was surprised the other day to discover that the “Founding Fathers” (silly phrase), especially John Adams, were quite opposed to democratic government, deeming it mob rule. The Constitution was mainly designed to protect individual rights from any form of tyranny, including majority rule. The reason was the stupidity and selfishness of the average person. […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-03-11 00:02:322013-10-15 00:02:52Democracy

MF

February 24, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

What I really think about religion is that the less said about it the better. I’d rather discuss almost any other topic. Debating it always leaves me feeling faintly nauseated. However, religious belief does connect with a topic that does interest me: psychological manipulation. As it happens, I have a new book (very short) coming […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-02-24 00:01:332013-10-15 00:02:20MF

Coaches

February 24, 2008/0 Comments/in Sport /by admin

Another breath of fresh air emanates from my recent tennis life. I now have two coaches, David and Claudio. David often counsels me to “hit the ball with love” and he can’t stand sloppy footwork. Claudio advocates “more power” and works with me on precise details of the stroke. David is Latin American, Claudio is German. Both […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-02-24 00:00:562013-10-15 00:01:54Coaches

Atheism Tapes

February 4, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

I well remember that sunny morning a few years ago when Jonathan Miller came to my apartment in New York to discuss the non-existence of God. We had been friends for a number of years, and had discussed a great many topics, but we had never, except glancingly, ever spoken about religion. We knew about […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-02-04 00:00:092013-10-15 00:00:35Atheism Tapes

Gloom

January 30, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

I just wrote a review of Against Happiness by Eric G. Wilson for the Wall Street Journal. It’s an interesting and provocative book, arguing that American culture is far too obsessed with happiness and not respectful enough of misery. The author admits to his melancholic tendencies, but celebrates them, rather than lamenting them. The general point is […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-01-30 23:59:152013-10-14 23:59:36Gloom

Two Types of EE

January 16, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

Let “weak ethical egoism” be the doctrine that it is wrong to count other people’s interests as having more weight than your own like interests, i.e. acting like a “martyr”. Let “strong ethical egoism” be the doctrine that it is wrong to count other people’s interests as having ANY weight in a case of conflict […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-01-16 23:58:482013-10-14 23:59:08Two Types of EE

Lemons

January 16, 2008/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by admin

I’m teaching Kripke’s “Naming and Necessity” as part of my Mind and Language class this semester. In reviewing it, I was struck by footnote 2, in which Kripke acknowledges some of his influences. He writes: “[Rogers] Albritton called the problems of necessity and a prioricity in natural kinds to my attention, by raising the question whether […]

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0 0 admin admin2008-01-16 23:58:032013-10-14 23:58:21Lemons
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