Categories
Sideblog
On Continental use of Realism. I have some comments on this but am on my way to San Francisco for a conference.
#
The different paradigms for reading Heidegger. Gives the main schools of thought as well as a new model that challenges William Richardson a little. (I'm partial to Richardson's view that the change is primarily a change in focus - although clearly there are some differences in his thought) This is a fantastic paper to get at the main definitions of Heidegger and cut through a lot of the cruft.
#
How free is God's will? I think there is an essential tension between early Jewish views in which God is a limited but purposeful quasi-anthropic actor and the Hellenistic views where God is the ontological ground of existence. You'll always run into problems reconciling the two.
#
Working notes on Derrida's On Touching. I've not read this work and it sounds like I really should. Of course timewise...
#
Empirically studying Heidegger's notion of ready-at-hand. They study the example I always give when explaining Heidegger: a mouse that doesn't track correctly. (HT: Enowning)
#
Philosophy is Inquiry "We do not study Kant and Nietzsche and Heidegger to refute them or to agree with them, or to satisfy a need to have something to believe in, or a need to belong to a movement, or a craving for action-guiding beliefs. Philosophy is inquiry: an attempt at arriving at the sober impersonal truth to the extent that this is possible for such limited beings as we are." He sounds like a Peircean to me. (A bit of truth and a bit of a joke if you read his post)
#
Brandon on Newton's argument against the Trinity. While I always knew of Newton's views I've never really paid attention to his reasoning before. This particular argument is rather relevant for Mormons. (IMO)
#
Why trust Kant on ethics? I also like his bit about "gobbledy-gook." I know I'm in the distinct minority but I feel about Kant the way a lot of people feel about Derrida. (Although Brandon makes a good defense in the comments) That said I still think Kant raises some important questions and critiques of Hume.
#
Jeff has up a new blog up, Stop that Crow. He's starting off discussing determinism in its various guises. We'll see if he addresses other topics. Jeff's been a frequent commenter here.
#
FPR on Beck & Social Justice. His Rawlian reading of Mormonism is worth checking out as well.
#
More Entries

Schopenhauer and New Books

Faith Instinct

Over at Gene Expression Razib reviews Nicholas Wade’s The Faith Instinct. It sounds like a different sort of book from the more cognitive science oriented ones like Scott Atran’s In Gods We Trust. (Which I enjoyed a great deal). One problem I’ve always had over the question of the evolution of religion [...]

Hacked Emails and Tree Rings

A nice discussion of tree rings and the hacked email climate controversy Goes through a dendrochronology textbook which explains a lot in the emails that confuses so many people. (Myself included)

Ethics and the Death of God

I was reading a post at Secular Right that was bringing up the old canard about needing the idea of God to ground moral order. This is the idea that atheism intrinsically leads to immorality. Now of course this is demonstrably false. I don’t see any evidence that atheists or agnostics in [...]

Climate Scandal

Three good sources on the climate scandal. “The hacked climate science email scandal that wasn’t”, “What do the hacked CRU emails tell us? and The CRU hack. I don’t know enough to really have an opinion yet. From what I see some of the big headlines are pretty misleading. I suspect the [...]

Climate Fatigue

Climate fatigue. I’ve long thought that one of the biggest threats to educating on climate change some of the big proponents on the left. They are at least as damaging as some of the big denialists. Would it have been so politicized had Al Gore not become seen as the main spokesman? [...]

The Laboratory Safety Song

OK I saw this at Science Blogs and had to share. The muppets do lab safety.

Win a Box of Amano Chocolate

I figured since this is my blog I can be a little self-serving here. As many know one of my businesses is making gourmet chocolate. (My other is programming) Indeed that’s partially why I’ve not had time to do a lot of heavy philosophy posts this last year or so. Running [...]

Epistemological and Ontological Realism

Epistemological vs. Ontological Realism. AKA can we reduce ontological problems to epistemological ones. Although I don’t think his description of Derrida’s view of language is quite right.

SMPT Submissions

Submissions are due December 1 for our 2010 Annual Meeting, March 25-27 at Utah Valley University. The conference theme is “The Measure of Their Creation-Theological Anthropology,” and we particularly encourage submissions on this theme, but will give full consideration to submissions on any aspect of Mormon belief.
Once again I’ll not be presenting. Yes, starting [...]

Sartre’s Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

Maverick Philosophy has a post up on Sartre’s Existentialism and the Meaning of Life. It seems to me some of the critique applies to Mormons. Mormon thinkers have often tended to adopt a Nietzschean or Satrean approach to the meaning of life – but one in which there is a kind of overcoming [...]

Metaphysics and Philosophy of Science

It’s Only a Theory has up a great post on metaphysics and the philosophy of science. It’s basically critique of Sider’s view of metaphysics. I confess I’m more on Sider’s side here. (Sider and Williamson are my two favorite analytic philosophers at the moment – even when I don’t agree with them) [...]

Damon Linker on Heidegger

Damon Linker defends Heidegger against Romano. Well, sort of. Linker doesn’t agree with Heidegger but thinks Romano’s argument is ludicrous.

Frames on Harman

Frames on “Harman’s creative insertion of human experiences into objects as an explanation for what causation is.” Actually makes we want to study Harman more. Sounds vaguely Peircean. Oh to have free time again to read more…

Too Many Students?

Are too many students going to college? I’m mixed on this. I understand that only 10-15 percent of the population have the ability to get a B or higher in college. And I think seeing college purely as job training is bad. But I think a lot of “intangibles” are taught [...]

keep looking »

Quote of the Moment

Search

Try Amano Chocolate
First American Gold Medal Winner
at the
London Academy of Chocolate

Admin

Log in
XHTML

Categories

Sideblog