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I'm a philosophy professor at the University of Lethbridge in Southern Alberta, Canada. I specialize in philosophy of war, game theory, contractarianism, and theodicy (the Problem of Evil). I am bald, fat, and ugly, but my wife loves me, so I don't care.

• WHERE AM I GOING WITH THIS?

  By paulosophicalvimplications on May 20, 2025 • ( 0 )

  I suppose I could get someone to brush my teeth, but it’s actually easier if I do it myself. But there are things I can’t do for myself, like get at that damn knot in the middle of my back…. Read More ›

• FROM THE THINGS NOT TO THINK ABOUT FILE

  By paulosophicalvimplications on May 13, 2025 • ( 0 )

  When we say “It’s a little known fact that …”, we usually mean precisely that. But since I’m a philosopher rather than a polymath, I like to use the phrase to refer to something that if you think about it,… Read More ›

• EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT TARIFFS THEY’RE AFRAID YOU’D ASK

  By paulosophicalvimplications on April 10, 2025 • ( 0 )

  If you find a stranger in your house, there are two questions you might ask. One is “How did you get here?” And the other is “What are you doing here?” However the intruder answers the first question – suppose… Read More ›

• TAKING SIDES

  By paulosophicalvimplications on March 7, 2025 • ( 0 )

  It’s hard sometimes for students of history to remember they’re also living in history. That I’m no exception I find embarrassing. I’m embarrassed because I’m upset about Ukraine and Palestine. But why? National borders change with the alacrity of the… Read More ›

• TRADE, TAXES, AND TARIFFS

  By paulosophicalvimplications on March 3, 2025 • ( 1 )

  Here’s another from the Words-No-Longer-Mean-What-They-Did file. In talking about free trade, what’s the contrast class? It can’t be compelled trade, since that would just be a synonym for expropriation. And yet by free trade we don’t just mean trade that… Read More ›

• LEDICE

  By paulosophicalvimplications on January 17, 2025 • ( 1 )

  There’s a civil war, though not a very civil one, that’s been going on in the southern Levant at least since 1948. Let’s see if we can identify the combatants. But first a disclaimer. Any attempt to define the parties… Read More ›

• A COMPLETE INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS IN ELEVEN MINUTES – TIME ME

  By paulosophicalvimplications on January 16, 2025 • ( 1 )

  Nothing about money or trading or buying or selling or competition or interest or inflation or taxes or … the list goes on and on. None of it makes any sense unless people own stuff. And people own stuff if… Read More ›

• POST MORTEM

  By paulosophicalvimplications on January 3, 2025 • ( 0 )

  What Fox is reporting, but MSNBC is being assiduous not to acknowledge, is that one of the reasons behind the Democrats’ defeat in November is the growing rejection of wokeism. Why has the left gone silent on this? Because to… Read More ›

• GOING BOURBON

  By paulosophicalvimplications on January 3, 2025 • ( 0 )

  Let’s do some conceptual housecleaning. Having a purpose and having a reason are two different things. The terrorist has a purpose in mind. He’s trying to change a government’s behaviour, whereas the reason someone goes postal is that he’s angry…. Read More ›

• MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

  By paulosophicalvimplications on January 2, 2025 • ( 0 )

  Occam’s Razor advises us never to multiply entities beyond what’s needed to explain what needs explaining. Is this because the simpler explanation is more likely to be the correct one? If so, what would explain that? So no. Rather it’s… Read More ›