Philosophy & Ethics

There are exceptions, of course - some athletes will never be ethical no matter how much coaching they receive and not all coaches are ethical, but overall coaching helps athletes become more than…

Obsession with duality     In the west we like to think in terms of dualities. Well known examples from diverse fields ranging from philosophy to physics included the physical/…

Who interviewed who?  There's Scopes Monkey Choir-- the podcast interviewing me.  And there's 365 Days of Astronomy-- the podcast where I interview them.  Welcome to an irrational…

There is a theory in economics known as the median voter theorem, attributed to Duncan Black in 1948. The theory has been used to justify the two party, winner take all system, mathematically by…

Turning and turning in the widening gyre     The falcon cannot hear the falconer;     Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;     Mere anarchy is loosed upon the…

This is the second of two parts. Read part one here In this discussion we will attempt to perfect the definition of eudaemonia by replacing the word "flourishment" with the word "promotive."…

In this first of two installments defining eudaemonia we will attempt the impossible, circumnavigating the sphere of "the good." For something to be eudaemonic it must be conducive to our happiness…

Martin Gaskell did not get a job as the director of a new student observatory at the University of Kentucky and says he thinks his religion is behind it. So for all those who say academia is too…

It's rare that a government commission won't take the opportunity to increase its authority and its importance.  It's good job security and makes people feel relevant, even if it's not only…

In the 1990s, virtually everyone except those closest to environmental issues knew biofuels were a bad idea in their current incarnation.   But evangelists like Al Gore insisted they were the…