Philosophy & Ethics

Inverted Qualia

A couple of months ago I attended a lecture by  Saul Kripke  at CUNY’s Graduate Center. Kripke is one of the most influential philosophers of the late 20th century, someone who you simply have to go see give a talk if you have the chance, on the sole basi ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Dec 7 2009 - 11:07pm

Podcast Teaser: Why Rationality?

Dear readers, Rationally Speaking is soon going to be (also) a podcast, produced by  New York City Skeptics, and co-hosted by Julia Galef and yours truly. Before each (initially biweekly, starting at the end of January) episode we will publish a “teaser” ...

Blog Post - Massimo Pigliucci - Dec 5 2009 - 6:47pm

Researching Just War: Why is Jus Post Bellum underdeveloped? Questions of Literature Review

I've been researching the Just War tradition lately specifically jus post bellum with intent to submit a paper in January or so. So far I find the research and sources pretty satisfying and enlightening. But a series of questions and comments keep cro ...

Blog Post - Sina Kashefipour - Dec 5 2009 - 8:46pm

Podcast Teaser: Love, A Skeptical Inquiry

[from guest blogger and podcast co-host  Julia Galef] Hey there, rational readers! I’m honored to be Massimo’s guest blogger and co-host of the upcoming Rationally Speaking podcast for the  NYC Skeptics. Since our second episode is scheduled to air the we ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Dec 10 2009 - 11:13am

Just War and Afghanistan

Found this article in Dissent magazine interesting: "Is Obama's War in Afghanistan Just?" by Michael Walzer. The core of Walzer's argument is that the decision to go to war in ...

Blog Post - Sina Kashefipour - Dec 12 2009 - 8:37pm

Too Many Antibiotics? Thank Your Lawyer

A new study suggests that the increase of MRSA in healthcare settings results from clinicians who prescribe antibiotics more often and more broadly than clinical circumstances and evidence-based guidelines warrant because of medical liability concerns. So ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 19 2009 - 1:15pm

Death of Man

For many the turbulence of life are inexplicable and profoundly frustrating our faith in goodwill. What is the essence of personal meaning in a world where human relations are becoming increasingly fragile? What is the meaning of this world when only one i ...

Blog Post - Ayad Gharbawi - Dec 28 2009 - 12:22pm

Countries to avoid- a new entry

Note to self. The list of countries to avoid visiting grows in 2010 with the entry of Ireland, a green country where people speak with a funny accent and drink good spirits. These are not at all reasons to avoid a visit. Instead, I find it sufficient the n ...

Blog Post - Tommaso Dorigo - Jan 2 2010 - 5:45pm

Concern Who It May

Concern Who It May When should one use 'who', and when 'whom'?  A simple enough question on the face of it, but in practice a path through a quagmire. Generally, making a choice between 'who' and 'whom' in construct ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Jan 10 2010 - 5:35pm

Mailspam, Webspam, And Freedom Of Speech.

Mailspam, Webspam, and Freedom of Speech. "given that the e-mail system has gone largely unchanged since 1965, perhaps we should be grateful that it works at all. "-  David A. Karp PCmag.com Spam is the biggest single threat to the continued ope ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Jan 14 2010 - 2:16pm