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 […]
Adverbs and Events Davidson had a clever idea with his theory of adverbs. It seemed both intuitive and ingenious, a genuine advance. It linked language and ontology, showed the power of standard logic, and provided a model for future work. We might compare it to Russell’s theory of descriptions: a clever and convincing account of […]
Ted Honderich and Others Ted and I had adjacent offices at UCL. A tall man, with a corduroy suit, floppy hair, a Canadian-English accent—he was hard to miss. He had ambition, lots of it. It is fair to report that he was not held in the highest regard philosophically. When I left my office on […]
Atrocious Atoms Elsewhere I have described atoms as annoying.[1] Dull, dreary, drab. I now want to extend that critique to a further level—they are also atrocious. The OED gives us “horrifyingly wicked” and “extremely bad and unpleasant”. So be it: atoms are that. Strong words indeed, but let’s explore some of the more disagreeable aspects […]
Mutual Cancellation I don’t think cancellers understand a simple truth: cancellation can go both ways, and often does. I personally have cancelled many people because of their behavior towards me (and towards others). I will not have anything to do with these people; I will not do anything to help them; I won’t even read […]
Laws and Reality I am going to be brief but broad. It is a plausible thesis that reality requires laws: nothing can exist and not be subject to natural law. This applies to the mind as well as the physical world. Laws make things what they are; you cannot detach the laws and expect the […]