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.

• THE NEXT 69 DAYS

  By paulosophicalvimplications on November 11, 2020 • ( 1 )

  As things now stand, Biden is going to exactly match Trump’s 306 Electoral College wins in 2016, which is 36 more than the 270 needed for the Presidency. This means that Trump’s legal challenges would have to reverse 38 of… Read More ›

• JEWS, THE SHOAH, AND IDENTITY POLITICS (July 18, 2017)

  By paulosophicalvimplications on November 9, 2020 • ( 1 )

  There’s not a whole lot that’s special about us Jews. Yes, we do celebrate Easter by drinking the blood of a Christian baby, preferably one still wet from the baptismal fount. But other than that we’re pretty much like everyone… Read More ›

• MY NEW YEARS WISH FOR AMERICA

  By paulosophicalvimplications on November 8, 2020 • ( 1 )

  With the election finally called, the “You’re fired!” signs have been coming out, as we all knew they would. And given Trump’s bravado, Biden would certainly be entitled to join in the crowing. But he’s not. And wisely not. After… Read More ›

• ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION, AND …

  By paulosophicalvimplications on November 2, 2020 • ( 5 )

  This is the night before the U.S. election. Unless you figure you can’t lose – or unless you figure you can’t win – you have to have two speeches ready for election night, a victory speech and a concession speech…. Read More ›

• CHARLIE HEBDO VS THE PROPHET

  By paulosophicalvimplications on November 1, 2020 • ( 1 )

  Rightly or wrongly we can decide when we’re more at our leisure; but in the meantime, John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice can be taken as pretty much the canon on distributive justice, at least in our relatively affluent Western… Read More ›

• ASKABLES AND UNASKABLES

  By paulosophicalvimplications on October 25, 2020 • ( 4 )

  It’s not a taboo unless it’s also a taboo to question the taboo. I get that. But it’s not a violation of a law or a rule or a policy to question that law or rule or policy. If you… Read More ›

• OF TREAT AND REGARD

  By paulosophicalvimplications on October 20, 2020 • ( 2 )

  Most of my students are white, middle class, and sexually vanilla. So this hasn’t happened to me yet, but I’m sure it’s just around the corner. Something I say is going to make a student ‘uncomfortable’, because it challenges some… Read More ›

• HOW TO BE BOTH PRIVILEGED AND WOKE

  By paulosophicalvimplications on October 20, 2020 • ( 1 )

  For some time now I’ve been standing back and keeping bemused score on the latest salvos in the Great Cancel War, a war that’s been going on since even before we emerged from the cave. Sometimes it’s been about sedition,… Read More ›

• A MEDITATION ON COMPLEASANCE

  By paulosophicalvimplications on October 18, 2020 • ( 1 )

  The majority view is that global warming is real. The minority view is that it’s not. The majority view is that masks save lives. The minority view is that they don’t. Since nothing in my own behaviour hangs on who’s… Read More ›

• EATING BREAKFAST TOGETHER

  By paulosophicalvimplications on October 16, 2020 • ( 4 )

  A considerable portion of our brains is dedicated to recognising faces at a distance because our most dangerous predators are others of our species. That friend-or-foe protocol atrophies when we become habituated to living in civil society. But put a… Read More ›