Category: Varia
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A Variable and its Value
You asked me to find x, and I found it. You didn't ask me to find the value of x. You rode roughshod over a perfectly obvious distinction. So don't call me a smart-ass!
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A Philosophy of Boredom
I am never bored. Tired sometimes, but not bored. A nap and a double espresso work every time. These are times that try our souls while stimulating our minds. Who can be bored? Regular reader, João Gabriel of Porto, Portugal, writes to thank me for my "great blog" and to recommend Lars Svendsen's A Philosophy…
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The Summer of ’69
A lot happened that fabulous and far-off summer of '69, now 45 years past. I won't bore you with any autobiographical tidbits, and of course some of you remember the moon landing; but that was also the summer when Ted Kennedy's car killed Mary Jo Kopechne. His car killed more people than any of my…
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Dog Racism!
Here: But these days, it seems, no one wants to be a dog racist—and this is where things start to get really weird. “The opposition to pit bulls might not be racist,” Junod writes in his Esquire piece. “It does, however, employ racial thinking.” Jeez, Louise. I suppose, then, it is time that I confess:…
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The Classical Theism Project
This should be of interest to students and younger scholars in philosophy and theology. Funding available.
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Hilary Putnam, Blogger
Hilary Putnam took up blogging on 29 May of this year. Well, better late than never. He has entitled his weblog Sardonic Comment. He might also have considered It Ain't Obvious What's Obvious, which is a line he uses somewhere. In 1976, when I delivered the John Locke Lectures at Oxford, I often spent time…
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Philosopher Gets the Point, Literally
Here: "THE YOUNG man accused of stabbing Esa Saarinen, a professor of applied philosophy at Aalto University, has revealed that his objective was to whip up media attention."
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Floods in Serbia
Dear Sir, I am regular reader of your blog from Serbia. I have an plea for you – if you find it inappropriate just skip it. You may know that my country and its neighbors was hit by terrible floods last few days. I will be very grateful if you can share a call for…
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Automotive Frugality
Keith Burgess-Jackson is one frugal dude: I've had only three vehicles in the past 31 years: (1) a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass, purchased from my brother Glenn in May 1983; (2) a 1989 Pontiac Grand Am, purchased new in August 1989; and (3) a 2007 Honda Accord, purchased new in February 2007. How many vehicles have…
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From Racists to Sexists
Image credit. (HT: Bill Keezer) By the way, I am grateful to all my correspondents. Don't take it amiss if I forget to credit you by name. And of course some of you I do not mention by name for your own protection. If you send me something, but don't want it posted, just say…
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Spencer Case Makes his Debut in National Review Online
Long-time friend of and commenter at MavPhil sends me the very good news that he is on board at NRO. Congratulations, Spencer! We definitely need more philosophically-trained journalists, and given the corruption and ever-worsening decline of the academic world 'thanks' to leftists, young philosophers like Case do well to consider alternative careers in which they can…
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The Philosopher and the Thief
John Kaag in Harper's tells a fascinating story of William Ernest Hocking and his library, and he tells it well. (HT: Seldom Seen Slim) No bibliophile could fail to enjoy it. And this raises one of life's greatest mysteries. Why do some of us value good books above bread while others of us are indifferent…
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My Most Read Post . . .
. . . is 'One Man's Terrorist is Another Man's Freedom Fighter.' And that is probably because Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic cited it. So I tell myself that I am having some influence, and doing some good. But even if I had no influence on anyone, the life of the mind would remain for…
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What do you want to be buried with?
When I was a teenager I fantasized dying and being buried with my guitars. A fantasy puerile and absurd, as it seems to me now. For some, however, adolescence is a life-long condition: Related articles Religion Always Buries its Undertakers A Modest Epitaph
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Links and Plinks
Tatto this: Think before you ink. Or this: I think therefore I do not ink. Better: I inked, therefore I did not think. Or the equivalent of: This page intentionally left blank. Michael Sudduth, Getting Sober about Survival (1/3). HT: Dave Lull, argonaut nonpareil of cyberspace Ed Feser trains his polemical laser upon Jerry Coyne…