The Turret Two Tour of the USS New Jersey was a moment to reflect on the astounding machinery of war.
Continue reading...On Ideas, Concepts, Intuitions
Ideas, concepts, and intuitions underlie all cognitive experience and sometime I write about them.
Fred Hyatt: Not Enough Technology Pessimism!
A spirited response enjoining MORE pessimism to Fred Hyatt’s Washington Post editorial on technology and democracy
Continue reading...Sexy Idea #2: Presentism—The Most Dangerous Prejudice
Calling presentism a prejudice is a little like calling 45 a bad president: It’s not strong enough.
Continue reading...Hither hocus pocus?
On the phrase “hocus pocus,” from Marina Warner’s essay “Spellbound” on the book Drawing Down The Moon
Continue reading...What is a flâneur?
An explanation of the cryptic subtitle of my site, namely, that I am an erstwhile flâneur.
Continue reading...COVID Information Compulsion
Early in the 2020 COVID pandemic, we “hunkered down” with our phones and devices, pathologically seeking information to momentarily pacify our data-addled souls.
Continue reading...COVID Diary: Historical Ruptures
An elliptical reflection on the ruptures in time and history.
Continue reading...Sexy Idea #1: Rousseau’s Noble Savage
Some ideas are “sexy,” ahem, because they baffle the imagination and excite the intellect (or vice versa). Rousseau’s noble savage is a case in point.
Continue reading...If Birds are Dinosaurs
What are the consequences of the Overton Window in paleontology that dinosaurs precede the bird?
Continue reading...What Do Dinosaurs Mean?
On a thought provoking essay by Verlyn Klinkenborg on recent literature in paleontology.
Continue reading...Stop signs
A new, subtle form of resistance against aggressive drivers and today’s on-the-go lifestyles.
Continue reading...200114: the prejudice of historical progress
some of the prejudices of historical progress | a prejudice that is unavoidable but pernicious
Continue reading...Reading the News? 3 Reasons to Stop
Civic responsibility entails reading the news regularly, to keep abreast of the world’s turnings. But does this practice actually improve us as persons?
Continue reading...Does Philosophy Do Film?
“Clearly you are not a bowler”: Can film do philosophy? Can philosophy do film?
Continue reading...Only Boredom Can Save Photography Now
Photography is under siege by the smartphone, the device that has made everyone a photographer while equally rendering all unable to appreciate images.
Continue reading...