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Is Derek Parfit a Speculative Realist?

Posted on March 21, 2012

The term Speculative Realism designates an apparently new trend or movement within philosophy. The term is said to have been coined in 2006 by Ray Brassier1 in preparation for a conference held at Goldsmiths College, London, in April, 2007. Participants … Continue reading →

Posted in Arendt, Ethics, Morality, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Santa Claus: Myth or Lie?

Posted on December 24, 2011

At The Secular Outpost, Jeffery Jay Lowder has a brief blog piece about Tom Flynn, the Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, and some of the reasons Flynn puts forth about why parents should not tell their children … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, Literature, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Evidence, Beliefs, and ‘Wise Blood’

Posted on November 30, 2011

In a previous essay, it was noted that the most objective, the most invariant-across-contexts feature of evidence is that evidence fits with a story. To regard evidence as that which fits with (and, thereby, supports) a story is not to … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

About ‘Militant Modern Atheism’ and Religion

Posted on October 7, 2011

Abstract: This essay first discusses the non-eliminable shortcomings (or vacuousness) found in the most vociferous versions of contemporary atheism as put forth in Philip Kitcher’s “Militant Modern Atheism”. The essay then proceeds to the problems which Kitcher’s preferred secular humanism … Continue reading →

Posted in Arendt, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Selves, Subjects, and Reductionism

Posted on September 9, 2011

In a recent blog entry, John Wilkins denounces the notion of an existent self saying, “Humans have an insistent need for illusions. … The most interesting illusion to me is that we have selves. It is quite obvious to me … Continue reading →

Posted in History and Philosophy of Science, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science, Religion, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Tree of Life and The Way of Grace

Posted on August 9, 2011

Abstract. Terrence Malick’s movie, The Tree of Life, suggests a stark contrast between the way of nature and the way of grace. At first, this contrast – but especially its starkness – seems to set the context for a choice … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Religion | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Tree of Life

Posted on July 20, 2011

Abstract. With his movie, The Tree of Life,Terrence Malick escapes the confines of mere rationalism and the poverty of meager empiricism to remind of the enchantment that is always with and within the ordinariness of reality. Malick locates this enchantment … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Javier Marías, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Left

Posted on July 4, 2011

Sometimes, some remarks should be cherished by themselves and for themselves, for their insight, for their truth. Here is one such passage from Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear by Javier Marías: The Left has always been a manner of … Continue reading →

Posted in Javier Marías, Literature, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Matters of Choice and Free Will

Posted on June 12, 2011

Abstract. In his paper, ‘The Act of Choice’, Richard Holton takes up and well discusses an important issue which the great bulk of the literature about free will has tended to ignore. That issue is the matter of choice: the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Synthese Debacle and the Louisiana Legislature

Posted on May 28, 2011

Much has been written about how the editors of the philosophy journal, Synthese, botched the handling of objections which were raised about at least one or two of the articles in the Evolution and Its Rivals special issue (Volume 178, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Affairs, Evolution, History and Philosophy of Science, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science, Politics, Religion, Science | 2 Comments