Tag Archives: short post

Guest Post: Does Physics still have room for Philosophy? (Jordan D. Cohen)

By the turn of the seventeenth century, early modern Europe had laid out the groundwork for calculus, deciphered the basic principles of electromagnetism, engineered the telescope and microscope, and devised mathematical laws for the motion of physical bodies. The Scientific Revolution that marked the century ushered in profound advancements among the prevailing intelligentsia and broaderContinue reading “Guest Post: Does Physics still have room for Philosophy? (Jordan D. Cohen)”

I’ve gone viral, or Scattered Thoughts on Workism

Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 4:6) I’ve gone viral …on TikTok. So I spend a lot of time on TikTok, for, um, research purposes. This is supposed to be embarrassing. Our cultural obsession with work, or workism, as Derek Thompson calls it, means allContinue reading “I’ve gone viral, or Scattered Thoughts on Workism”

Life Update and Poem

Life update: I’ve moved to Cambridge to do an MPhil in Philosophy. More on that in another post. I’m at Trinity College, hence the picture. No philosophy to share, yet. But here’s a poem I wrote at the Sidgwick Site: Plant one flower. After, don’t look down at your feet. Stumble, stumble your way, headContinue reading “Life Update and Poem”

You only have two types of problems

I’ve recently become convinced that there are only two types of problems you can have: belief problems and agency problems. Belief problems are problems that arise from having not enough information or incorrect information. Examples include: You think you’re very likely to be mugged in your neighborhood, so you either avoid going outside at nightContinue reading “You only have two types of problems”

Status-Income Disequilibrium

(Thanks to Jeff Zymeri for the pointer) Here’s David Brooks’ “The tragedy of the SID”: This eventually became his book Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There. If you’re anything like me, you have a very strong opinion of David Brooks. That’s for another post. And/but this is undeniably aContinue reading “Status-Income Disequilibrium”

The ones who were happy about the pandemic

Most people I know think the pandemic is awful. But some of my friends are actually happy about it. These friends are not heartless. They just think that the pandemic is all part of G-d’s plan. If G-d is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good, then he would create the best world for us, and this isContinue reading “The ones who were happy about the pandemic”

Political Ideals

I picked up Bertrand Russell’s Political Ideals (1917) earlier in the pandemic and was struck by its sensibility: Few men seem to realize how many of the evils from which we suffer are wholly unnecessary, and that they could be abolished by a united effort within a few years. If a majority in every civilizedContinue reading “Political Ideals”