The words “woke” and “wokeness” have recently entered the political lexicon. These words puzzle me as to what they mean and why people use them. “Woke” and “wokeness” are used mostly, if not exclusively, as an insult. They are used […]
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Latest Articles
UFOs Are Real, but Our Thinking about Them Is Not Realistic
What are UFOs? It is a surprisingly emotional subject. A large percentage of people who come across this article will read very little of it, having already assumed their preferred conclusion, and not take seriously the argument I am presenting. […]
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Sorry, Veganism Won’t Save the Planet
Too Lazy; Didn’t Read (TL;DR): Veganism won’t save the planet because it attacks the wrong targets. I recently saw someone describe herself as a “vegan evangelist.” Strange though that label may sound, it appropriately describes the religious fervor of veganism. […]
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What I’ve Learned Searching for Someone to Help Market My Books
I am a philosophy professor and writer, and so far, I have published five books and many articles. I have spent the last six months researching ways to market myself and my writing, looking to hire someone as a publicist […]
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An Introduction to Philosophy Book for Everyone
I began teaching philosophy in 1998, and I love talking with students and helping them discover new ideas. Several years ago, I gave up on the mass produced introduction to philosophy textbooks. The offerings from the Big Four corporate […]
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The Arbitrariness of Units of Time
The Arbitrariness of Units of Time In the Gregorian calendar, 1 January marks the new year. It is not the new year in the dozens of other calendars that exist. This is not insignificant. Although the “new year” is celebrated […]
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William James’s Argument for Free Will
It’s a simple hypothesis: I have the ability to choose freely what actions I will take. Whether that hypothesis is correct — or its opposite is correct, that our choices are determined by external forces — is impossible to prove […]
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It’s Okay To Not Like Christmas
Do you love Christmas? That’s cool, I respect that. Have fun. I want to talk about and with those who don’t consider this the “most wonderful time of the year,” because I respect them too. As long as I can […]
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Twitter, TikTok, and Siloization
Note: This is a transcript of a recent podcast episode, moving the content from that one-way medium to this more two-way Medium. Any irony is intentional. Siloization – ˈsī-lō-ə-ˈzā-shən : the process of isolating a group apart from others especially […]
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Pragmatism – The Philosophy with Cash Value
Some people believe that philosophy is detached from the real world and has no practical application to our lives. That’s ignorance, but it’s understandable because of the long tradition of rationalist and now analytic philosophy that seems to be really […]
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