One person says the medical establishment pushes autism-causing vaccines on the public. Another claims the tobacco industry colluded to distort the evidence that smoking causes cancer. But is there some principled way for us to distinguish wacko conspiracy theories from those that are true and reasonable?
Recent research concluded that racism and sexism correlated more closely with support for Trump than economic dissatisfaction did. To reach out to those racist, sexist voters, the research suggested we use empathy. But how does one conjure empathy for deplorables?
You might think that Trump is an inveterate liar, whose lies disguise the truth in a way that causes favor among gullible constituents. But here’s an alternative hypothesis: Trump is bullshitting.
“Live your life as a work of art!” Thus rings the slogan discussed by John,…
What do August 8, July 23, July 16, and June 17 have in common? Answer:…
Before the imposing body of Justice Antonin Scalia was even cold, acrimonious partisan anticipation over…
I just listened to the Philosophy Talk episode with Father Andrew Pinsent, Good, Evil, and…
Sometimes people want a place where they’ll be free from identity-based insult. But sometimes people…
This Halloween we’ll see kids, college students, and other revelers dressed in costumes ranging from…
In the hit musical Next to Normal, a climactic scene portrays Diana Goodman, the lead…
Something has puzzled me for a long time about the psychology of those who deny…
Having just listened to the recent Philosophy Talk show with David Livingstone Smith, I find…
A debate rages in philosophy about whether intuitions can help us know the truth. The…
The question in Part I was: what is the nature of religious credence (or “belief”)…
I grew up as a boy going to the Christian Reformed Church, in which every…
What makes people believe in God? The relatively new research field cognitive science of religion…