Philosophy & Ethics

The Brain's Linguistic Auto-Pilot We tend to be not very good at proof-reading and 'proof-hearing' our own words.  It takes mental training and a great deal of concentration even to proof-read…

Now that I am officially a philosopher (i.e., my salary is going to be paid by a philosophy, instead of a biology, department), I can indulge full time in reading philosophy without feeling guilty. I…

In 1987, Robert Bork became the target of an organized, special interest smear campaign aimed at ruining his chances for being confirmed by the Senate as a Supreme Court justice.   Since then, a…

From 1958 to 1970 Wladimiro Dorigo, my father, directed a political and cultural magazine called "Questitalia" ("This italy"), where emerging political issues were discussed, and the ongoing…

Matthew C. Nisbet, assistant professor in the School of Communication writing in Nature Biotechnology, says there are changes that must be made to ensure quality science communication in the future…

During my essentially casual research of the native cultures that settled the Southwestern U.S., I repeatedly come across both archaeological and anthropological references to the concept of oneness…

Word Salad And Rules Of Conformity The conversation-capable computer has often been said to be just around the corner.  All too often, what is found around the corner is  an impenetrable…

Random Reward Schedules and the Ambiguity of Language. I had the clue from Pavlov: control your conditions and you will see order. B.F. Skinner, A Case History In Scientific Method. Skinner…

If you’re not familiar with the work of Dr. Rupert Sheldrake it may help to know that his most popular experiments were featured on British television in the form of specials that you can view, at…

The Intelligence in the Chinese Room. In my  article Digging Beneath the Surface of Grammar, I wrote:     It may be noted in passing that Searle's Chinese Room argument fails to…