Category Archives: Philosophy

On September 11

Posted on September 11, 2015 by

Every September 11 in the United States, we are besieged with exhortations to remember the eponymous terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. These come in many forms, from the innocent social media posts of our friends and relatives and celebrities … Continue reading →

Posted in As Seen On TV, Culture, Current Events, Patriotism, Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Life and Death

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. Gandalf

Aside | Posted on October 23, 2011 by | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Talking Over Torture

Posted on January 12, 2010 by

Conor Friedersdorf responds to Jonah Goldberg’s continuing attempts to frame the debate over water-boarding as a debate over semantics: Talking Over Torture | The American Scene Goldberg is absolutely wrong to argue that there are no good responses to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Politics, war | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quote of the Day

Posted on September 6, 2009 by

“No man is an island, and rules made for imaginary islands ignore the fragile ecology of the actual archipelago.” Adam Gopnik, The Return of the Native, The New Yorker, Sept. 7, 2009

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes | Tagged | Leave a comment

What is it about MDs?

Posted on May 1, 2009 by

Don’t get me wrong, MDs are sure smart and successful and all, but it just seems like whenever there’s a crazy idea being touted by someone with an impressive degree, it’s a physician. Don’t quit your day job, Dr. Lanza. … Continue reading →

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Accomodationism for the Greater Good?

Posted on April 29, 2009 by

Over at DiscoverMagazine.com, Chris Mooney takes issue with this blog post by Jerry Coyne on what Coyne calls “accomodationism” of religion in stances by the National Academy of Science and the National Center for Science Education, two leading scientific organizations … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, Culture, Philosophy, Religion, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jon Stewart Nailed It

Posted on March 16, 2009 by

I  am with what anecdotally seems to be the majority of people, who thought the Daily Show interview of Jim Cramer conducted by Jon Stewart was brilliant, even while painful to watch. Jim Cramer had the misfortune of representing all … Continue reading →

Posted in As Seen On TV, Current Events, Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Rants | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bob Barr: Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again

Posted on August 1, 2008 by

I was listening to Wednesday’s Talk of the Nation podcast episode, and they had on Bob Barr as a guest. Why not? He’s a retired Congressman, he’s probably got nothing better to do with his time. Wait, he’s running for … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Economics, Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Reaction to DC v Heller

Posted on June 26, 2008 by

The Supreme Court today ruled the District of Columbia gun ban unconstitutional, unambiguously embracing an ‘individual right’ interpretation of the 2nd Amendment after decades (centuries, actually) of ambiguous decisions on the matter. Those of you who have only read my … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Oopsie! Clinton Forgets to Fact-check… again

Posted on April 6, 2008 by

Hillary Clinton’s campaign says the candidate will stop telling the story of an uninsured pregnant woman who lost the baby and died after being denied medical care, following a hospital raising questions over its accuracy. CNN Political Ticker – Clinton … Continue reading →

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