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Hearsay and Backtalk

Unsubstantiated Opinions and Frivolous Ideas

Category: Philosophy

The Eternal Political Catch-22: Between Purity and Compromise

Suzanne Moore argues: “We don’t need self-serving arguments about authenticity. Wake up! Leadership now is not simply a matter of … More

consequentialism, orwell, political philosophy, Suzanne Moore

On Capitalism

1. There is no ethos of capitalism, just exploitative rhetoric. 2. Capitalism, according to its champions, is meant to be … More

capitalism, social Darwinism, socialism

Are Religious Beliefs Causes?

To answer this question, one could begin with a philosophical quandary: are beliefs of any sort causes of human action? … More

causality, religion, religious beliefs, religious violence, social determinism, terrorism

Free Speech is a Paradox

The following statement captures an idea pervading the internet over the last few days: “Free speech, however, is not a … More

Charlie Hebdo, ethics, free speech

Agnosticism is De-facto Atheism, Continued

I started working on a reply to some of the comments of my last post, and decided I might as … More

agnosticism, atheism, God, gods, theism

Agnosticism is De-facto Atheism

I have long found the drawing of distinctions between agnosticism and atheism a dubious affair. Conventional wisdom has it that … More

agnosticism, atheism, Bertrand Russell, God, gods, T.H. Huxley

The Unnecessary Contradictions of a Conservative

Recently Andrew Sullivan offered an elegant and virtuous definition of conservatism: For a conservative should not be implacably hostile to … More

Andrew Sullivan, conservatism, liberalism, political philosophy

What Kind of Accountability Does the Public Expect From Science?

Climate change is an endlessly useful example for examining issues of public science, and it was Jasanoff’s preferred case study … More

Brian Wynne, climategate, expert knowledge, IPCC, public understanding of science, Sheila Jasanoff, STS

Some Thoughts on Jasanoff, “Science and Reason in the Public Sphere”: Symmetry and Realism

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of hearing Sheila Jasanoff give a talk as part of York University’s STS Program’s Seminar … More

epistemic norms, normativity, philosophy of science, public science, realism, science and technology studies, Sheila Jasanoff, STS, symmetry

Some Pretentious Wittgenstein Name-Dropping

“Hastings-on-Hudson is a village, in a Wittgensteinian sort of way,” Mr. Wallach said.  (Quoted in “Creating Hipsturbia“) Intellectual name-dropping is … More

Bloor, forms of life, Ian Hacking, name dropping, Philosophical Investigations, Shapin and Schaffer, Wittgenstein

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