December 2015
December 2015
Truth & Other Fictions
John Perry
27
Dec 2015
Some people think Aristotle basically had it right when he said, "To say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true". I take it he meant that, for example, if I say this apple is red, what I say is true if this apple actually has the property of being red. If I say this apple is not red, what I say is true if this apple does not have the property of being red. What more is there to say?
Read moreGood, Evil, and the Divine Plan
John Perry
19
Dec 2015
The question is: if God knows all, is all-powerful, and is benevolent, why did He create a world with suffering, evil and injustice in it? That’s what philosophers call “The Problem of Evil”. It is a problem for religions, like orthodox Christianity, that posit a perfect God. Such a God should be all-powerful or “omnipotent,” and all-knowing or “omniscient”. And he should be benevolent, since being mean and uncaring is an imperfection. But as the quote from Epicurus shows, the problem predates Christian philosophy and theology.
Read moreTwo Concepts of Safe Space
Neil Van Leeuwen
17
Dec 2015
Sometimes people want a place where they’ll be free from identity-based insult. But sometimes people want a place where they can talk freely about ideas without having to worry about being declared offensive. It’s legitimate to hope for both kinds of place. Loosely speaking, both can be dubbed “safe spaces.” But immediately a difficulty arises: the two kinds of safe space are often (not always) at cross-purposes.
Read moreTaoism
John Perry
09
Dec 2015
Lao-Tse, the founder of Taoism, said “Those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know” So, by that criterion, I can say a something about Taoism, since I know very little.
Read moreSelf and Self-Presentation
Ken Taylor
07
Dec 2015
Questions about the nature of the self are questions of metaphysics. When we ask such questions we want to know what exactly a self is and what distinguishes one self from another. On the other hand, when we talk self-presentation, we seem to be talking psychology or politics or marketing. Self-presentation has to do with how people present themselves to others.
Read moreGun violence, advocacy, and the NRA
03
Dec 2015
Suppose that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) funded research which found that individuals who eat meat are more likely to die of heart disease than those who don’t. (I am making this up; I have no idea whether this is true or not.) The meat lobby objects and says that the CDC should not be allowed to fund research that advocates against eating meat.
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