Where do Observant Jews and Conservative Christians get their Morals, Theologically Speaking?
Theologically speaking, where do Jews and Conservative Christians get their values?
philosophy
My Central Tension in Moral Philosophy
It would be nice to be able to say that my moral leanings followed a consistent system of moral belief and didn't leave central questions such as the source of…
Cultural Amuse-Bouche: Michael Sandel’s "Justice"
Earlier this week, Michael Sandel was the featured guest on The Colbert Report. The philosophy professor at Harvard spoke of the way philosophy can inform current political debates and help…
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
Filmmaker Adam Curtis returns with a brilliant new documentary series that explores the ways in which many of our modern ideas and conventionally held beliefs have been perversely shaped by…
Facebook essay, Freedom given is no freedom at all
This short essay is going to address the assertion that free will can be given or assigned to an individual, and that after, it can still be considered free will.…
Facebook essay, "Dubito ergo cogito; cogito ergo sum." A reflection on the nature of existence through Descartes’ Principia Philosophiae
Many people recognize these famous lines: "I doubt therefore I think; I think therefore I am", yet few know who spoke them and what they mean. Unfortunately, written reflections on…
On governance: (1) Principles
How should we govern ourselves? Since Locke's Second Treatise, the presumption has been in favour of self-government -- that is, each individual adult person has the natural right to govern…
Gunsmoke
The passing of James Arness (aka Sheriff Matt Dillon) the other day reminded me of this excerpt from the Adam Curtis documentary “The Power of Nightmares” dealing with the curious…
On the Quebec question: (3) Nationhood
Is Quebec a nation? Is Canada a nation? Can there be a nation within another nation? These are difficult points, but some committment on these issues seems to underlie both…
On the Quebec question: (2) Self-determination
Yesterday, I suggested that objections to the definition of a "clear majority" in favour of separation as 50%+1 were insincere, and really masked forms of other objections. The first I…
The greatest of dangers
The challenge is not to become a machine. The greatest danger is not from outside: the greatest danger is ourselves – that is, the greatest danger is losing touch with…
On the Quebec question: (1) Clarity
(After this, I may just go ahead and write that Israel thing I've had kicking around in my head for a few years. While I'm stepping on landmines, I might…
The system is broken: strategic voting, coalitions, and the political regime under which we live
While I can of course see the rationale for strategic voting, there is much to be said for voting with one’s conscience. When we consistently choose the lesser of two…
The David Pakman Show on “The Trolley Problem”
The name of this blog, Death By Trolley, is a reference to the philosophical thought experiment, The Trolley Problem, which was a subject of discussion recently on The David Pakman…
On Faith and Inductive Logic
Perhaps largely due to its strong religious associations, the word 'faith' is often significantly abused by both sides of the religious debate. The result has been some consistent misconceptions about…
Marxism and the Continued Cold-War Rhetoric of the Right. . . . .
Am I the only one who is amazed by the Conservatives who condemn fairly mainstream centrists and mild leftists with epithets such as "Marxist" and "Communist" because they are vaguely…
Christopher Hitchens on Dealing with Mortality
I found this piece enormously powerful, and thought it was worth sharing.http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/09/hitchens-201009
Christopher Hitchens on Dealing with Mortality
I found this piece enormously powerful, and thought it was worth sharing.http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/09/hitchens-201009
Christopher Hitchens on Dealing with Mortality
I found this piece enormously powerful, and thought it was worth sharing. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/09/hitchens-201009