Tag Archives: truth

Three Things I Think Are True

Posted on May 16, 2015 by

At this point in my life, I think there are three things that are true–the first one being rather obvious: I am a limited being, embedded in the system I’m trying to explain. This means I cannot be wholly confident that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Does the Truth Matter or Not?

Posted on April 24, 2014 by

Catholic Andrew Sullivan, in the context of reading the biblical scholar Bart Erhman’s new book, How Jesus Became God (Harper 2014), makes a crisp and refreshingly direct statement to his fellow biblical religionists who ignore expert consensus and the general … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

What is Information? A Three Word Definition

Posted on March 27, 2014 by

The three word definition. The physicist Brian Greene, in his book The Hidden Reality (Knopf 2011), gives the best definition of information I’ve ever encountered: So, you start to ponder. What actually is information, and what does it do? Your … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Glasses, Not Mirrors: Richard Rorty’s Whole Philosophy In 900 Words

Posted on December 2, 2013 by

I’m going to try to sum up the whole of Richard Rorty’s philosophy in just 900 words. Do you suppose I can do it? Here goes. The religionist, the scientist, and the ironist. There are three types of people in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Howard Kurtz is My Hero

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Journalist Howard Kurtz has been goofing up lately, but the way he addressed it this past weekend is incredibly impressive (as can be seen in the below video). It’s rare, almost unheard of in any context, for someone to so … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ludwig Wittgenstein for Beginners

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

First thought. To get a handle on the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, one can start with a simple question: what does the scientist (as opposed to the philosopher) do and accomplish? The answer seems pretty straightforward. The scientist reasons and experiments … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

You Don’t Know What Work Is

Posted on September 16, 2012 by

John Churchill has a contrarian take on work: Is there no intrinsic value ─ no good in itself ─ in the work of a life that does not rise, in its own span, above the level of the mop and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three Grandmas Watch Something Naughty

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

Very naughty. A nice reminder that adults can see and hear things without the least harm. __________ I love the display of irony here because we all know that this is exactly how individuals tend to respond to “shocking” images … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Appearances vs. Reality

Posted on February 14, 2012 by
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Critical Thinking as a Spiritual Path: Prepare Ye the Way of the Truth?

Posted on November 1, 2011 by

Yale Divinity School graduate, and former evangelical, Jonathan Dudley, explains, in a recent essay, how lay evangelicals tend to evaluate expert testimony (and so arrive at ridiculous conclusions): Lay evangelicals evaluate the arguments made by “experts” in a manner different from many non-evangelicals. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Neutrinos Faster than the Speed of Light: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

Or, as the New York Times put it today, “Incredible claims require incredible evidence.” The reference is to the mind-blowing (apparent) discovery that there are neutrinos that can outpace the speed of light. Here’s more from the New York Times: According … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If You’re Angry, And Words Fail

Posted on August 12, 2011 by

Don’t shoot! Try gesture:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          . Or, how about this? (Buddhist equanimity.)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       . The above painting is from a Laotian monastery. It’s an image of the Buddha leading monks through a treacherous path. He is silent and calm, walking through … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Truth and Justice Watch: Where Barack Obama Began and Osama bin Laden Ended

Posted on May 2, 2011 by

  Over the past week, we’ve discovered where Barack Obama began (we have his long-form birth certificate) and Osama bin Laden ended (with Barack Obama). This is an irony that shouldn’t escape us, for it has long been a Republican … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In the Free Will Debate, Does the Truth Matter?

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

According to the New York Times this morning, researchers have discovered a curious correlation between belief (or disbelief) in free will and behavior: [W]hen people doubt free will, they do worse at their jobs and are less honest. This raises … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Chris Hedges the Prophet on Print Culture Turning to Image Culture

Posted on March 17, 2011 by

Former New York Times war correspondent, Chris Hedges, has, over the past couple of years, taken on the mantle of a secular prophet—an emperor has no clothes truthteller—writing scathing (and I think powerful) books and essays documenting the messes that we find ourselves … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Was Keats Right? Surfer-Physicist Garrett Lisi’s TED Talk

Posted on February 22, 2011 by

The poet John Keats famously wrote, at the end of his “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, the following: Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. I’m not sure this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Simple Truth

Posted on November 16, 2010 by

I think what the ideologically motivated person wants is a one party controlled state. Left or right, it is a poverty of wisdom and proportion to desire such a thing. The great danger is that the right, in a time … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Human Bones Discovered at Masada: An Example of Religion Hindering Science

Posted on September 4, 2010 by

At the academic web magazine, Bible and Interpretation, anthropologist Joe Zias complains about ultra-orthodox Jews hindering archaeology and anthropology: For several decades self-appointed groups of the ultra-orthodox have been waging an all out cultural war against the archaeological community in general and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ground Zero Mosque Fact Check

Posted on August 18, 2010 by

Not that the facts matter (for the right in this country makes up its own facts exactly as it pleases), but some AP reporters actually went to the bother of fact checking some of the claims that prominent Republicans like … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on August 5, 2010 by

From an interview with Rutgers philosopher and cognitive scientist, Jerry Fodor: God provided us with tenure so we could do our best to say what’s true. I’m doing my best.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment