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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

Easter Eggs in the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy

Philosopher Simon Blackburn’s Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy has been an invaluable resource in my studies, and to my general philosophical thought, since … More