Died on this day. See Housman’s entry in Poetry Foundation. I came to know Housman through his classical scholarship and only much later got round to reading his poetry. Housman was a scathe merchant of the highest order, sometimes it felt like wrestling with a razor blade. One of my favorite quotes of his could well…
Here’s wishing a happy birthday to the amazingly brave Mary Lefkowitz, a beacon of light for intellectual integrity, truth and liberality. I’d urge you to read History Lesson: it’s an easy, quick and a rather chilling read. Mary came to my attention some thirty years ago when, studying classics, I came across the contentious Martin Bernal. Their bitter clash later morphed into even more unsavory exchanges with others…
Usually when the hyperbolic term “supergroup” is used that alone is enough to dissuade me from listening. This group so far, is an exception. At least on their latest album they offer a powerful and seamless emergent blend of funk, gospel and blues — it doesn’t get much better than this. bluesfunkgospelmusicnew orleansRoyal Southern Brotherhood
EPISTEMEEpistemologysocial epistemology
Eric Cohen and Aylana Meisel in Commentary. To this day, many American Jews reflexively associate anti-Semitism with the “Right.” And without question, the “neo-Nazi” and white-supremacist strains of anti-Semitism exist in America, and occasionally their sick adherents act out against the Jews. But these perverse philosophies have no broad institutional base and no representatives in…
Question (I): Are people depressed despite unprecedented opportunities for education, vocations, self-growth, cultural enrichment, travel, and recreation (a) Because modern life is more difficult, complex, and stressful than it has ever been before? (b) Because, for men, competition in the marketplace is fiercer than ever? (c) Because, for women, life as a housewife is lonelier than…
A nice crisp collection of perspectives from 2005 on the above question. I only know Wilfred McClay and Susan Haack’s work and both of their entries very much reflect their broader concerns. politics and religionscience and religionSecularismsusan haackWilfred McClay
Producer extraordinaire Scott Billington talks about the making of Classified. For a detailed insight into Booker, see Scott in fascinating Bayou Maharajah: James Booker Story. James Bookermusicnew orleanspianoScott Billington
Jerry Coyne weighs in on his blog as does Debra Soh on Twitter, making the point that on offer is not only bad science but bad politics too. The silly sign featured seems to be a emblematic of the OPS(III) mentality: OPS(III) individual manqué, most prevalent variant within general population; morality of anti-individualism, exhibiting collective cognitive torpidity not dissimilar to that of eusocial insects, appropriately…
Obit here. Reports of my demise are not exaggerated. — Hubert Dreyfus (@hubertdreyfus) April 22, 2017 AICognitive sciencedistributed cognitionEmbodied cognitive scienceexistentialismHubert DreyfusMartin HeideggerphenomenologyPhilosophy of mindsituated cognition
manwithoutqualities 