Because Because is an interesting word. According to the Shorter OED, it was originally two words by and cause, after the old French par cause de (by reason of). To say “p because q” is to say “p by cause q”, where “cause” means “reason”. The Concise OED gives “for the reason that; since”. Roget’s […]
A New Metaphysics I am about to propose a new metaphysics—a new metaphysical system. I say “new” with some trepidation, there being nothing new under the sun; but I am confident that nothing like this has ever been formulated before, or not in any tradition with which I am familiar—though there are faint echoes of […]
Thugs I have noticed an increase in thuggery from the Trump gang. He of course is a thug in the mafia mold (though physically cowardly). They all want to be tough guys. The aim is to instill fear. This is the next stage in installing a dictator. No one in power is standing up to […]
Consciousness and the Fetus The brain grows gradually in the fetus, going through various stages of development. This development is now well mapped out embryologically. But nothing is known about the inner consciousness that accompanies this brain growth. It is reasonable to believe that it goes from simple to complex, primitive to sophisticated—how could it […]
Causal and Logical Relations Is this an untenable dualism? Are the two relations really that distinct? Isn’t one a special case of the other? The OED defines “cause” as “a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition” and “reasonable grounds for a belief or action” (notice it doesn’t say “event”). […]
Ringo and the Philosophers I was watching a TV special featuring Ringo Starr. He sang and played the drums a bit. It was quite nice in a low-key kind of way. My constant thought was: why is Ringo so limited? He’s a good drummer, but why is his technique so primitive (I’ve never heard him […]
Perception and Propositions In order to have a theory of the origins of knowledge one needs an account of the origins of the proposition, i.e., propositional thought. How do we come to grasp propositions? It is notable that empiricists don’t venture an answer; they stick to the origins of concepts (“ideas”). They vaguely suppose that […]
Third Best Philosopher Ever I have suggested, tentatively, that Bertrand Russell is the second-best philosopher ever, but it would be nice to say who gets the bronze medal. Reflecting more on my admiration of Russell, I came to a melancholy conclusion: the only philosophical work of his that I really like is The Problems of […]
American Shrinkage The American shield is down, Europe is on its own, isolationism is back, protectionism is preferred, xenophobia is rampant, paranoia prevails. This is the new world order under Trump. Europe will have to save Ukraine, if anything can. Canada hates America. France, Germany, and Great Britain have had it with the American government. […]
Quitting Ken Levy’s case reminds me of my own case of twelve years ago. I resigned from the university I worked at because I did not want to spend thousands of dollars and a lot of time engaged in a legal action to keep my job in a place I no longer wanted to work. […]