Philosophy
A friend asked the other day, "What makes something romantic?" and I thought it would be a good question to play with here. Are there necessary and sufficient conditions? Is it purely subjective? There are certain things that will make almost anyone go "Oh, that was sooooo romantic," meaning that it doesn't simply seem to be a matter of taste. What characteristics of an act will tend to make it romantic?
- Why Is Romance Yucky?
The shorter of the short people has reached the point where romantic scenes in movies are yucky. It's not that they are uninteresting, boring, or taking up space that could be used for something more exciting, rather they elicit a visceral and often...
- Love And Lust
Springtime, when thoughts supposedly turn to love. Or something close, at least. What is the relationship -- if any -- between romantic love and lust? Are they completely unrelated? Does one always accompany the other? Does one tend to lead to the other?...
- Is Love Natural?
With Valentine's Day (or VD, as it is sometimes abbreviated) coming up this weekend, let's think about love. Is romantic something we are biologically pre-programed to feel or is it culturally constructed, something we've been taught to feel?...
- Nerd Valentines
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This Valentine's weekend, I recall that a certain Playground regular has an alternate romantic use of the word "logic," and so inspired let's come up with the geekiest ways to describe...
- Marriage, Gays, And That Romantic Nonsense
Guest-post today from C. Ewing: Go here for the full story. "As a libertarian, I was unfamiliar with why people thought the state should define marriage, much less why it should be defined in such a way as to limit it to a certain number or sex of people....
Philosophy
A Burp Is Spontaneous. A Burp Is Not Romantic.
A friend asked the other day, "What makes something romantic?" and I thought it would be a good question to play with here. Are there necessary and sufficient conditions? Is it purely subjective? There are certain things that will make almost anyone go "Oh, that was sooooo romantic," meaning that it doesn't simply seem to be a matter of taste. What characteristics of an act will tend to make it romantic?
- Why Is Romance Yucky?
The shorter of the short people has reached the point where romantic scenes in movies are yucky. It's not that they are uninteresting, boring, or taking up space that could be used for something more exciting, rather they elicit a visceral and often...
- Love And Lust
Springtime, when thoughts supposedly turn to love. Or something close, at least. What is the relationship -- if any -- between romantic love and lust? Are they completely unrelated? Does one always accompany the other? Does one tend to lead to the other?...
- Is Love Natural?
With Valentine's Day (or VD, as it is sometimes abbreviated) coming up this weekend, let's think about love. Is romantic something we are biologically pre-programed to feel or is it culturally constructed, something we've been taught to feel?...
- Nerd Valentines
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This Valentine's weekend, I recall that a certain Playground regular has an alternate romantic use of the word "logic," and so inspired let's come up with the geekiest ways to describe...
- Marriage, Gays, And That Romantic Nonsense
Guest-post today from C. Ewing: Go here for the full story. "As a libertarian, I was unfamiliar with why people thought the state should define marriage, much less why it should be defined in such a way as to limit it to a certain number or sex of people....