I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass. My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this […]
“Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman Read More »
First in a series tracking Donald Trump’s presidency and its anti-free-market policies. 1. Pence and Trump explicitly criticize free markets. The New York Times. 2. Direct dealing with an individual company: Carrier will not move. The Fiscal Times. 3. Close up parts of the Internet. “We’re losing a lot of people because of the Internet,”
Trump versus Free Markets, late 2016 edition Read More »
For use in my courses, additions to my Texts in Philosophy page. Mikhail Bakunin, God and the State (1871). René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (1641). Fyodor Dostoyevsky “The Grand Inquisitor”, excerpted from The Brothers Karamazov (1880). William James, “What Makes a Life Significant?” (1900). Immanuel Kant, “Duties towards the Body in Respect of Sexual
Texts in Philosophy — late 2016 additions Read More »
In these days of cultural sensitivity, consider the saga of syphilis. Syphilis is thought to have been brought back from America by Christopher Columbus’s fellow travelers. In Europe, it first manifested in Naples and so came to be called “the disease of Naples,” though most Italians called it the “French Pox.” As it made its
Syphilis and friendly ethnic relations — updated Read More »
The Japanese are leading the way. Fascinating implications for the deep human need for companionship — interaction, visibility, and personal connection, even if simulated. Also: My related article on the ethics of sex with robots.
Want a Hologram Girlfriend and Assistant? Read More »
Here are two recent reviews of philosopher Neera Badhwar’s (recommended) Well-Being: Happiness in a Worthwhile Life (Oxford University Press, 2014): * Professor Jason Raibley in Ethics (pdf, or via Academia.edu). * Professor Jean Karez in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.
Two reviews of Neera Badhwar’s *Well-Being* Read More »
Amusing: More of Fran Krause’s work here and here.
Deep Dark Fears comic Read More »
[Re-pinning for this season’s festivities.] We all know the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. Or do we? Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has generated an astonishing variety of interpretations, and as with most rich tales the interpretations often tell us as much about the interpreter as the original story. The legend of Robin Hood is a
Ebenezer Scrooge as Aristotelian Hero Read More »