Adding philosophical depth to anything and everything
One of the few philosophers who is a household name, Socrates is famous for being a gadfly who was condemned to death. A citizen jury of Athens decided that Socrates deserved to die. Why? We must rely on Plato’s account in Apology to try to understand what happened and why. […]
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I recently edited a long article on Buddhist canonical history by a junior scholar. It is an interesting study on how the early Buddhists debated the meaning of the earliest Buddhist writings and what texts should belong in the canon. Common among all of those involved in the debates was […]
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Much has been made and certainly much more will be made about Joe Biden’s age after he announced he is running for president. Some people suggest that he is too old to run for president. It is prejudice to assume that age makes one unqualified for any role, including the […]
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Deteething an old saw. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but that the fight continues still slightly mystifies me. The classic “problem of evil” is a philosophical quandary for religious people and a weapon for anti-religious people in their attack on religion. Whether the “problem” is an actual problem […]
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I heard there was some spectacle on one of the 24-hour “news” channels last night. It was some show where they handed Donald Trump a microphone and turned a camera on him. “Tortuous” was the description in one headline covering the ensuing car crash. As predictable as was Trump spewing […]
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We are not born clothed, but quickly come to need clothes. Throughout our lives, we cover our bodies with garments primarily for utilitarian purposes. We humans are both the only animals who need clothes and the only animals who have the intelligence and free will to create and select clothing. […]
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As my readers know, I love philosophy and eagerly read as much as I can about it and write about it and promote it as much as I can. I don’t like sounding cynical, but even more, I dislike being dishonest. So, with apologies and regret, I have to sound […]
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I lived in the UK from 2012 to 2018. It was long enough to get a strong sense of what makes the Brits tick. It was also long enough to learn what are the goods and bads of Britain. As a place to live, it’s not too bad, all things […]
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I ran across this quote years ago and yesterday’s discussion with my students in ethics class brought it to mind. “Perspective shifts will unlock more than smartness will.” – Dr. Astro Teller There is wisdom in this quote, but like all wisdom, it has to go deeper than a slogan […]
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If you publish Web sites, you may want to avoid these companies. I have been publishing original content on the Internet since 1994. My first site was a political blog before anyone knew what a blog was. As a publisher, I have been bartering and selling ad inventory on each […]
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