Philosophy
Perhaps the most insightful of all of Robert Hunter's lyrics is the line, "You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know." But, that is the job of some folks...say, philosophers. How does one best motivate someone to learn something he or she does not want to know? Aspazia employs film and literature arguing that narrative allows an empathy that working at the conceptual level does not. By what means can we get people to look at things they don't want to see?
- Quizzes And Paternalism
So, at this time of semester I give quizzes every class drilling the rules of inference and equivalences needed to do natural deduction proofs. It is the same quiz day after day after day. When a student asked why I do this, I was honest and said that...
- Bullshit Or Not: Bill Gates Edition
There's an old sketch film called Amazon Women on the Moon and one of the bits is a parody of the old Leonard Nimoy show, "In Search Of..." called, "Bullshit or Not?" with the tagline "Bullshit or not? You decide." It's a line I like so much that...
- Daniel Dennett - How To Tell If You're An Atheist
The human mind is both beautiful and frustrating. We have minds that can contemplate the meaning of infinity and consciousness, on the one hand, and we can be blind to what's right in front of us, we can lie to ourselves, we can simultaneously embrace...
- Putting Cosmology In Its Place...a Good Thing
It is comforting to know that I am not alone in these views. Abstract... Cosmology differs in some respects significantly from other sciences, primarily because of its intimate association with issues of a conceptual and philosophical nature. Because...
- "det Sjunde Inseglet"--"spirit In The Sky"
Ingmar Bergman's Det sjunde inseglet [The Seventh Seal] [1957] Look familiar? "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum 1969 When I die and they lay me to rest Gonna go to the place that's the best When I lay me down to die Goin' up to the...
Philosophy
You Ain't Gonna Learn What You Don't Want to Know
Perhaps the most insightful of all of Robert Hunter's lyrics is the line, "You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know." But, that is the job of some folks...say, philosophers. How does one best motivate someone to learn something he or she does not want to know? Aspazia employs film and literature arguing that narrative allows an empathy that working at the conceptual level does not. By what means can we get people to look at things they don't want to see?
- Quizzes And Paternalism
So, at this time of semester I give quizzes every class drilling the rules of inference and equivalences needed to do natural deduction proofs. It is the same quiz day after day after day. When a student asked why I do this, I was honest and said that...
- Bullshit Or Not: Bill Gates Edition
There's an old sketch film called Amazon Women on the Moon and one of the bits is a parody of the old Leonard Nimoy show, "In Search Of..." called, "Bullshit or Not?" with the tagline "Bullshit or not? You decide." It's a line I like so much that...
- Daniel Dennett - How To Tell If You're An Atheist
The human mind is both beautiful and frustrating. We have minds that can contemplate the meaning of infinity and consciousness, on the one hand, and we can be blind to what's right in front of us, we can lie to ourselves, we can simultaneously embrace...
- Putting Cosmology In Its Place...a Good Thing
It is comforting to know that I am not alone in these views. Abstract... Cosmology differs in some respects significantly from other sciences, primarily because of its intimate association with issues of a conceptual and philosophical nature. Because...
- "det Sjunde Inseglet"--"spirit In The Sky"
Ingmar Bergman's Det sjunde inseglet [The Seventh Seal] [1957] Look familiar? "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum 1969 When I die and they lay me to rest Gonna go to the place that's the best When I lay me down to die Goin' up to the...