Bend Sinister Nabokov’s harrowing novel of that name is about political leaning to the left (“sinistral”). Bending sinister is supposed not to be a good thing to do (communism etc.). But we might also use the phrase to describe something more literal—leaning to the left hand. I have been bending sinister regularly. I am a […]
Axons, Dendrites, and Consciousness You may have heard the saying, “When you get down to brass tacks, these are the facts: birth, copulation, and death”. The sentiment is that these are the basic facts of human (and animal) life—the poles around which everything else revolves. I could paraphrase this in application to the brain as […]
Garbage and “Garbage” Biden has a ready and plausible answer to criticism of his “garbage” comment, viz. the use-mention distinction. He was quoting someone else’s use of the word not using it himself non-quotationally. He was enclosing it in what philosophers call scare-quotes. We could paraphrase him thus: “The only so called ‘garbage’ here are […]
The Brain-Brain Problem Time for some conceptual house-cleaning, or furniture-arranging. We have been talking about the mind-body problem all wrong; we need to bring our formulations up to date. We used not to know that the brain is the central mechanism of the mind; now we do. The mind is an aspect of the brain—mental […]
Kamala Harris I like Kamala, I really do. I think she is a highly intelligent capable person, and even quite likeable (I used to find her off-putting). I badly want her to win. I think she will make a fine president. But there is something she says regularly that really irritates me: she is forever […]
Abby Philip Strikes Again Last night was surely a turning point. Abby Philip’s nightly show features vigorous debate between pundits of the left and pundits of the right (usually the MAGA right). She handles it with the utmost integrity and intelligence (not to mention charm). I always dislike the right-wingers she has as guests—all of […]
Cancellation and Silence I have now written three pieces for this blog on cancellation, focusing on my own case (but including Ed Erwin). I have condemned it. Meanwhile Brian Leiter posted a link to my first piece on his blog, and also condemned it. (It isn’t only me—we could also talk about Ludlow, Pogge, and […]
Brain and Self I say “I have a heart”, “I have lungs”, etc. I am evidently saying that I stand in the having relation to organs in my body—possession, ownership. These things are not identical to me; they are extrinsic to me, not what I am. I also say “I have a brain”, as if expressing […]
96 Tears I decided to listen to a song by the band Question Mark and the Mysterians, since I have been named after them (so I am the second most famous mysterian in history). They are known as a one-hit wonder, dating from the Sixties. I came across 96 Tears, which reached number one in […]
Anti-Feminist Politics I used to think that the primary appeal of Trump to his supporters was his racism. That is undoubtedly a factor, but I’m coming to think that his attitude towards women is a big factor too. I mean his misogyny, his sexism, his contempt, his aggression—all the bad stuff. Notice that his many […]