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 ›
Critical Thinking
FROM THE THINGS NOT TO THINK ABOUT FILE
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 ›
TAKING SIDES
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 ›
IT’S A LITTLE KNOWN FACT THAT …
When someone initiates a conversation with “It’s a little known fact that …”, what he typically means is that there’s something he knows, but his interlocutor probably does not. But I want to bring our attention to another use of… Read More ›
TWO CONCEPTS OF NON-FALSIFIABILITY
Descartes’ global dream argument predates The Matrix by almost half a millennium. Neither did Men in Black invent the conjecture that we’re in constant contact with creatures from other planets. That they’re fully visible. But they’re also very shy. And… Read More ›
KILLING AND LETTING DIE
Is there a moral distinction between killing and letting die? There would have to be, since otherwise we’d be culpably responsible for the millions of people who die every year because we didn’t feed them. And that’s a burden too… Read More ›
WHY ISRAEL DOESN’T HAVE A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF
The thing about rhetoric is it can’t afford to ask itself what it means by the words it uses. For example, in justifying Israel’s response to the attack on October 7, the most oft-chanted mantra is that Israel has a… Read More ›
ACTUS NOVUS INTERVENIENS
The standard use of the concept is this. Tom wants Dick dead, but he doesn’t want to be charged for the murder himself. So he tells Harry – falsely, let’s suppose – that Dick has cuckolded him, relying on his… Read More ›
THE HODES/RODYCH DEBATE
This entry will make no sense unless first you read these: Hodes, C. (2023). A Settler Colonialism Induced Feminist Snap: A case study in IRS denialism and institutional violence in Canada. Feminist Asylum: A Journal of Critical Interventions, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.5195/faci.2023.107 , https://feministasylum.pitt.edu/faci/article/view/107,… Read More ›
GASLIGHTING
Killing means to end a life of, well, pretty much anything. Murder means to wrongfully end the life, but presumably only of another human being. To discriminate means to ascertain a difference and act accordingly. So, for example, she has… Read More ›
Paulosophical Vimplications 