Author Archives

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.

• FOR THE SOUL OF THE NATION

  By paulosophicalvimplications on September 2, 2020 • ( 2 )

  Here are the red button non-issues in America today, that have spilt over into Canada:  Covid is what it is, until some day it isn’t. And the economy is what it is until, like Covid, it’s not. So that leaves… Read More ›

• THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

  By paulosophicalvimplications on September 1, 2020 • ( 2 )

  A neighbourhood is a location and a socio-economic homogeneity. It’s a location because people don’t want to have to drive to borrow a cup of sugar. And it’s socio-economically homogenous because they like to chat when they’re borrowing a cup… Read More ›

• ‘TWAS AND ‘TIS ALWAYS THUS

  By paulosophicalvimplications on September 1, 2020 • ( 0 )

  There isn’t a single person – or a married one for that matter – who hasn’t done something unworthy of himself. Even that Jesus fellow overturned tables that didn’t belong to him. So if we only erect statues to “he… Read More ›

• ANIMUS

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 31, 2020 • ( 2 )

  Because for seventy years Yugoslavia was one country, as government workers, university professors, and so on, Serbs and Croats lived side by side in its capital, Belgrade. So I’m told that, when the war broke out after the death of… Read More ›

• PATTER

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 31, 2020 • ( 6 )

  I’m certain that clergy, politicians, and news anchors all take the same course in patter. Given how often “our hearts go out to …”, one wonders if they ever stay home. Note that it’s invariably our hearts, first person plural,… Read More ›

• REQUIEM

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 31, 2020 • ( 0 )

  If people want radically different things from their government, it’s unlikely there’s going to be enough political stability to produce much of anything. So it’s a sign of a healthy society that the distance between Liberals and Conservatives in Canada… Read More ›

• THE PROBLEM WITH DEATH THREATS

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 31, 2020 • ( 2 )

  The problem with death threats is that you can’t elicit them. God knows I’ve tried. They have to come at you from left field, which so far they haven’t. So obviously I need to switch strategies. Not unlike a drug… Read More ›

• RACE RELATIONS AND INFOTAINMENT

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 30, 2020 • ( 9 )

  It was February, 1968, and I was just turning eighteen. I was sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Callao, the port city adjacent to Lima, Peru, reading an English language Time magazine that was reporting on the Tet Offensive in… Read More ›

• THE RACE WAR THERE WON’T BE

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 29, 2020 • ( 0 )

  There are certain mantras that are omitted only at the speaker’s peril. For example, whenever there’s a tragedy the politician’s “heart [has to go] out to the friends and family”. And every address must end with “God bless the United… Read More ›

• POLICE RELATIONS MADE SIMPLE

  By paulosophicalvimplications on August 29, 2020 • ( 2 )

  It ain’t rocket science, people. Fear begets fight or flight. But sometimes – e.g. when defiance of legitimate authority is involved – the latter isn’t an option. Fight requires anger. And anger, if it’s to do its job, is notoriously… Read More ›