First Word

My colleague has begun to address some of the issues of the philosophy of science (see e.g. review of Gordon Clark on science), but it is also necessary to explore some of the broader issues involved in science.

Below are a few Wittgenstein quotes on science. (more…)

Not to be confused with another movie with the same title, this is a documentary about the Battle of Stalingrad which was fought between the German and Soviet armies during the fall and winter of 1942-43. Before making a few comments, a little background about the battle may be helpful. (more…)

Great Britain is just like every other craven and effeminate western nation – only more so. Frightened by media-hyped terrorism and crime, the British have allowed their government and big corporations to turn the country into the world’s largest monitored nursery. (more…)

Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies

One of the few benefits of living in an era of insanity is that it makes the peddlers of the most prosaic and obvious truths appear like sages. The banality I will defend here is that almost every stereotype you have ever heard is true. (more…)

The British were willing to negotiate with Napoleon, and in August 1806 made generous concessions, only asking for unmolested control of Hannover; Talleyrand favored the agreement, but Napoleon nixed it. (more…)

In an earlier post, I pointed out that the “argument” for continued immigration implied by the slogan “we are a nation of immigrants” was an enthymeme that cannot be cashed out: every nation is, or originally was, a nation of immigrants. Thus, if any nation has the right to restrict immigration, then so does America. (more…)

Hilary Swank is bright-eyed, idealistic teacher in a recently-integrated LA public high school. Her class of freshmen is divided into at least four ethnic groups. Each group (except of course the honky — but no matter, there’s only one of him anyhow) has a strong sense of tribal loyalty; this fact is exemplified by turf wars in their respective neighborhoods. The first day of class brings the ongoing war into the school, (more…)

The view of man and of history presented by Augustine in the City of God is glorious and awe-inspiring. In this vision, all men are active and loyal citizens of one or the other of two invisible Cities: the City of God, or the City of Man. (more…)

The book entitled The Philosophy of Science and Belief in God expounds Gordon H. Clark’s view of science. The book proceeds by historical survey, and the three chapter divisions divide the history into the ancients, the Newtonians, and the 20^th century. Roughly speaking, this corresponds to views of science that we could call rationalist, empirical-determinist, and empirical-indeterminist. Each of these is shown to come up short of the standard Clark has set for what science needs to accomplish (more…)

Another roaring Preston Sturges movie. (more…)

In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, Mordechai Eliyahu, declares that all Palestinians in Gaza (men, women, children) are collectively guilty for the Kassam rocket attacks on Sderot and ruled that there was no Talmudic prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential Israeli offensive on Gaza. The rabbi reasoned that everyone in Gaza is responsible (more…)