Do our fellow citizens have an interest, and so can they take an interest, in our reproductive behaviour? Of course they do and can. But can the state, on their behalf, take an interest in our reproductive behaviour? Pro-Lifers say… Read More ›
Everything You Wanted to Know About What’s Going On in the World But Were Afraid to Ask
PETER BOGHOSSIAN
Apparently some celebrants are having a little fun by sending notices to Black addresses to report immediately to the nearest plantation. Tasteless but – c’mon, be honest – would the woke have been any less insensitive had they been taking… Read More ›
HOBBES ON OPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE
(1) Oppression is morally indefensible. As is brutality. So(2) brutality in the service of oppression is doubly indefensible. (3) Resistance to oppression, if not morally mandatory, is certainly morally laudable. So (4) brutality in the service of resistance is at… Read More ›
THE DETRITUS OF LAST NIGHT
Banality of the day: By definition, governments produce winners and losers. In democratic polities, like America, elections produce governments. So yes, elections produce winners and losers. In this one, notwithstanding I’m not an American. I’m a loser. Last night I… Read More ›
BUT THAT COULD CHANGE
What is it to win a war? Well, it’s for the war to have achieved its objective. The objective of Israel’s neighbours in the wars of ’48, ’56, ’67 and ’73 was to push the Israelis back into the sea…. Read More ›
THE GENOCIDE DEBATE REVISITED
Harris and Trump are calling each other a fascist. But either claim will die the death of a thousand qualifications. So it’s not a claim. It’s what Wittgenstein would call a move in a language game called political rhetoric. Fair… Read More ›
AWFULISING
“A Harris victory on November 5th will spell the end of America as we know it.” Well yes, the America we’ve known has never had a female president. “A Trump victory on November 5th will spell the end of America… Read More ›
THE STUMP SPEECH/INTERVIEW DISTINCTION
As my millions of followers have noticed, no doubt with considerable disappointment, I’ve been holding back lately, both on a) those events taking place in the Middle East and on b) the election campaign taking place south of the 49th…. Read More ›
FROM THE YES-BUT-DON’T-SAY-IT FILE
The core axiom driving any cognising organism is to treat like cases alike. And this, of course, requires that it distinguish between this collection of things and that collection of things. These distinctions are not always easy. Are we in… Read More ›
THE STATE OF THE RACE
According to MSNBC, if Trump wins America will be a fascist dictatorship. According to Fox, if Harris wins it’ll be a communist dystopia. I suppose that without this hyperbolic awfulising American politics would be about as boring as, well, Canadian… Read More ›
Paulosophical Vimplications 