Posted in Politics, Truth, tagged media bias, Politics, Truth on November 29, 2007 | No Comments »
We’ve already heard about questions for Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail being planted by the campaign staff itself. The practice is evidently more widespread than I would have imagined. It turns out that the Republican candidates’ debate arranged by CNN last night contained multiple planted questions. Questioners described as “undecided” have [...]
Posted in philosophy, tagged objectivity, philosophy, science on November 29, 2007 | 2 Comments »
Virginia Postrel reflects on Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison’s book, Objectivity. Among the passages she quotes:
All epistemology begins in fear–fear that the world is too labyrinthine to be threaded by reason; fear that the senses are too feeble and the intellect too frail; fear that memory fades, even between adjacent steps of a mathematical [...]
Posted in philosophy, science, tagged philosophy, physics, possible worlds, science on November 29, 2007 | 3 Comments »
Physicists are considering a seemingly metaphysical question and seeking physical evidence for answers. (Hat tip: Wil Oxford.)
Posted in Equality, Politics, economics, ethics, tagged economics, Equality, justice, welfare on November 29, 2007 | No Comments »
G. A. Cohen presents two cases meant to illustrate points about distributive justice. (1) Tiny Tim is disabled. He nevertheless has a sunny disposition, sitting happily by the fire with his loving family. The family can’t afford a wheelchair. But Tiny Tim doesn’t mind. Still, a wheelchair would make it [...]
Posted in Politics, terrorism, tagged foreign policy, Israel, Middle East, Politics on November 28, 2007 | No Comments »
Some blunt but reasonable questions about the Annapolis conference. What is the President thinking?
Posted in Politics, philosophy, tagged Politics, postmodernism on November 28, 2007 | No Comments »
Dr. Sanity on postmodernism and the Democratic party’s current strategy. Ideas really do have consequences.
Posted in Education, tagged Education, home schooling on November 28, 2007 | 2 Comments »
What’s the square root of 169/49? According to the teacher of my friend’s daughter, ‘2′. Well, it’s about 2. But why did she count ‘13/7′ wrong? Here’s the teacher’s reply: “The answer is 2. That’s what it says in the teacher’s manual.”
Posted in Music, tagged Handel, Messiah, Music on November 27, 2007 | No Comments »
The St. Cecilia Music Series is sponsoring a performance of Handel’s Messiah—the 1759 Foundling Hospital version, the last version Handel himself prepared, unabridged, on baroque instruments—over three nights at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 15th Street, Austin, Texas:
Friday, November 30, 7pm: Part I.
Saturday, December 1, 7pm: Part II.
Sunday, December 2, 6pm: Part III.
Posted in Religion, terrorism, war, tagged Christmas, France, Islam, riots, war on November 27, 2007 | No Comments »
For a third night, Muslim youths are rioting in France—this time with guns. Over 100 police officers have been wounded, some seriously, as a rampage of vandalism and car burnings once again consumes areas of Paris, Toulouse, and other cities. “This is war,” says one of the leaders of the riots. The [...]
Posted in Equality, economics, tagged economics, Equality on November 27, 2007 | No Comments »
Thomas Sowell discusses the top one percent, which, as he notes, changes significantly over time.
Greg Mankiw points out that people care about injustice rather than inequality per se.
A thought inspired by reading them together: The difference between wealth and income is underappreciated. ‘Rich’ and ‘poor’ might be used in either sense, but seem [...]
