All Thought Begins with Faith
Tom Van Dyke, concerned that the road I’m traveling leads to skepticism and nihilism, asked me to state for the record whether anything is self-evident. I stand by my answer–I’m not sure–but I’d like...
Tagged: Philosophy
When Truth Serves Power
I see two reasons for being suspicious of truth claims made by authorities, be the authorities religious, political, or otherwise: first, a particular claim may not be true, and second, even if a claim...
For the Love of Sex and Marriage
On the front page, Tod Kelly is ready for the country to have it out over same sex marriage, and he’s optimistic that the proponents will win. I suspect a mostly universal acceptance of...
What Does Invoking God Get You in Ethics?
Not much, says Julian Sanchez, and he’s right. Over the past decade, I’ve moved away from religious faith as an explanation for why the universe exists, why it is the way it is, and...
Echoes on the Road
“The performance of a play, like that of a ritual, cannot simply be detached from the play itself, as if it were something that is not part of its essential being, but is as...
The Fellowship of the Text
A Tale of Philosophy In the lightless land of France, the doors to the Dark Lord’s tower opened, and the undead minions of Jacques Derrida, dressed as riders in black, went forth into the...
What Is Philosophy?
When asked this question, philosophers themselves are known to pause or even stumble around a bit before venturing an answer, and when one does propose an answer, you can bet your collected works of...
Relativism and Value Hierarchies
Will Truman makes two astute observations concerning the philosophical differences between liberals and conservatives: while both camps may at times use the same words and express the same sort of values, they regularly differ...
Philosophy as a Culture War
The other day, philosopher Santiago Zabala chose to honor the late Hans-Georg Gadamer by rallying his troops in the philosophy world’s version of the culture war: In this decade since Gadamer’s death, hermeneutics has...
