Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is one of the cleverest plays every written. If you haven’t read it, it’s about two characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet who pop into being without the slightest idea of who they are or… Read More ›
Social and Political Philosophy
THE MEANING OF OBSCENITY
I’m going to make up a stat, but I’m guessing it won’t be too far off the mark. I’m going to claim the mainstream media dedicated 17 times the coverage to the loss of those 5 would-be adventurers in a… Read More ›
OF VIAGRA AND MIDOL
No socialist believes the state should cover even our discretionary expenses, like dinners out; and no libertarian believes the state shouldn’t provide us with police, the courts, and national defence. But everything other than police and courts and national defence… Read More ›
MENSTRUATION SHAMING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
Before you read this, take a look: Menstrual Equity at Waterloo Apart from the bit about free tampons in the women’s washrooms, my wife thinks this is just bat shit crazy. I disagree. I’ve already reported on the number of… Read More ›
CONVOLUTION
The fallacy of self-exclusion is an old saw in philosophy. Common example? Intolerance of intolerance. Or, “There’s no place for hate at the University of Fill-in-the-Blank!”, except of course for our hatred of haters. Or, “Our mandate is a university… Read More ›
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, CALIFORNIA AND BRAZIL
Trade relations are transitive. If America trades with Brazil and Brazil trades with Russia, then America just is trading with Russia. So if America doesn’t want to trade with Russia, it has to tell Brazil, “Either you can trade with… Read More ›
CRITICAL RACE THEORY
By Critical Race Theory (CRT) is meant a) an analysis of the concept of race such that b) race will turn out to be a, if not the, prime determinant of social stratification. In that sense CRT cannot but be… Read More ›
I GET IT, BUT …
A young person, who’s been rejected all his life by the guys for not being guy enough, finally gets up the courage to present as a woman, only to be rejected by women for still being too guy. She’s walking… Read More ›
THE VERTICAL MOSAIC
EDI commissars are trained to notice who are under-represented in positions of privilege – Blacks in the US, Indigenous in Canada – but not the logical complement, namely the over-represented. Who are the latter? Well, white males certainly. But also… Read More ›
MANDATORY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
On the surface this latest addition to woke Newspeak would seem to be an oxymoron. But this might be too quick. A conscript is a conscript, but he does have an opportunity to learn a trade. And compulsory education –… Read More ›
Paulosophical Vimplications 