Philosophy
I drive past a lot of places this time of year that have banners or signs that say "Peace on Earth/Good will to men." A lot of them are not places I would generally think of as being pro-peace as I conceive of peace. So, it makes me wonder what they mean by "peace." Is it just the absence of war? Is it a completely different kind of peace, something like "everyone now converts to my religion/worldview"? Is it something else or does it mean nothing at all? Is it just something said without thought at all? What do they mean by "peace"?
- Is Peace Just Internalized Conflict?
Came across an interesting passage in, "The Meaning of 'Ethical Neutrality' in sociology and Economics," an essay of Max Weber in which he argues that there is no such thing as peace: "Conflict cannot be excluded from social life. One can...
- The Irony Awards
Today is the birthday of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and owned a major arms manufacturer before establishing the Peace Prize with his name. What other awards could you come up with the would rival it in irony? The Louie Anderson...
- Can The Palestinian Authority Negotiate Peace With Israel?
Today's question is whether the Palestinian Authority can negotiate peace with Israel. I'm not asking whether it is likely to happen when Abbas sits down with Netanyahu, I'm asking a more basic question -- are they the ones who should be sitting...
- Corporate Use Of The Peace Sign: Diluting Its Meaning Or Infiltrating The Young Mind?
The less short of the short people has officially entered the "tween" stage. She and TheWife went through her clothes, purging that which was too babyish. She also let us know that she has a favorite clothing store, a place whose offerings fit what she...
- The Complimentary Close
A standard part of every letter and most e-mails is the complimentary close. That's the one or two word adverbial phrase that you put right above your signature or typed name. They are a rather strange form of utterance. J.L. Austin followed Wittgenstein...
Philosophy
What Does "Peace on Earth" Mean?
I drive past a lot of places this time of year that have banners or signs that say "Peace on Earth/Good will to men." A lot of them are not places I would generally think of as being pro-peace as I conceive of peace. So, it makes me wonder what they mean by "peace." Is it just the absence of war? Is it a completely different kind of peace, something like "everyone now converts to my religion/worldview"? Is it something else or does it mean nothing at all? Is it just something said without thought at all? What do they mean by "peace"?
- Is Peace Just Internalized Conflict?
Came across an interesting passage in, "The Meaning of 'Ethical Neutrality' in sociology and Economics," an essay of Max Weber in which he argues that there is no such thing as peace: "Conflict cannot be excluded from social life. One can...
- The Irony Awards
Today is the birthday of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and owned a major arms manufacturer before establishing the Peace Prize with his name. What other awards could you come up with the would rival it in irony? The Louie Anderson...
- Can The Palestinian Authority Negotiate Peace With Israel?
Today's question is whether the Palestinian Authority can negotiate peace with Israel. I'm not asking whether it is likely to happen when Abbas sits down with Netanyahu, I'm asking a more basic question -- are they the ones who should be sitting...
- Corporate Use Of The Peace Sign: Diluting Its Meaning Or Infiltrating The Young Mind?
The less short of the short people has officially entered the "tween" stage. She and TheWife went through her clothes, purging that which was too babyish. She also let us know that she has a favorite clothing store, a place whose offerings fit what she...
- The Complimentary Close
A standard part of every letter and most e-mails is the complimentary close. That's the one or two word adverbial phrase that you put right above your signature or typed name. They are a rather strange form of utterance. J.L. Austin followed Wittgenstein...