A while back I did a short post on the collapse of civilizations, noting that history pretty much shows that all civilizations, sooner or later, end. (I also expressed skepticism that ours is necessarily anywhere near this point.) The quintessential example of a civilization collapse is the fall of the Roman Empire. But it is by … Continue reading The collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations
Month: May 2014
What Scientific Arrogance Really Looks Like — Starts With A Bang! — Medium
Ethan Siegel weighs in on the Tyson / philosophy controversy. Siegel is a theoretical physicist, notably a cosmologist which I believe is Tyson's own specialty. But Siegel's views on philosophy appear to be much more informed. Now, philosophy doesn’t have the answers, but it does teach ways to consider the limits of our knowledge. And … Continue reading What Scientific Arrogance Really Looks Like — Starts With A Bang! — Medium
Quantum twist could kill off the multiverse, and Boltzmann brains
THE multiverse is dead, long live the multiverse. A radical new way of looking at quantum mechanics suggests that even the multiverse will come to an end. A popular view of the multiverse says that our universe is just one of an ever-inflating multitude of discrete "bubble" universes. These bubbles are eternally budding off new … Continue reading Quantum twist could kill off the multiverse, and Boltzmann brains
Philosopher Fridays: Russell
If I hadn't been sick for the last couple of days with a head filled with mush, I would have called your attention to Michelle Joelle's outstanding post on Neil deGrasse Tyson and philosophy. She made many excellent points that I failed to mention. Well, better late than never. Michelle has done a follow up … Continue reading Philosopher Fridays: Russell
Neil deGrasse Tyson is wrong to dismiss all of philosophy, but he may have a point on some of it
So, I reblogged Massimo Pigliucci's post responding to Tyson's remarks about philosophy, which appears to have generated some heated discussion. After reading some of it, I realized that I have a few thoughts on this. First, I suspect Tyson's blanket dismissal of philosophy is simply the result of insularity. I've noticed that philosophy's critics tend to be those … Continue reading Neil deGrasse Tyson is wrong to dismiss all of philosophy, but he may have a point on some of it
It’s time to look for life in Europa’s ocean
Lee Billings has a fascinating article up at Aeon asking why we continue to send missions to Mars when the best chance of life existing today is in Europa's underground ocean. If Europa is alive, if some biology dwells within those dark waters, the implications would be even more staggering than finding life on Mars. … Continue reading It’s time to look for life in Europa’s ocean
It really is time for the death penalty to go
Wired has an article up on America's long history of botched executions. Two weeks ago, things went horribly wrong with the execution of Clayton D. Lockett, a 38-year old Oklahoma man convicted of shooting a young woman and burying her alive. After executioners initiated what was meant to be a lethal injection, Lockett began writhing … Continue reading It really is time for the death penalty to go
Neil deGrasse Tyson and the value of philosophy
Some of us, led by Michelle Joelle, had a Twitter conversation about this the other day. Apparently Tyson is doubling down on his views about philosophy, which is unfortunate for such a public figure. Tyson is a brilliant science communicator, but he appears to have some serious blind spots.
The mythology that circles Phineas Gage
Slate has an interesting article on Phineas Gage, and about how his story has been mythologized and overhyped over the years. On Sept. 13, 1848, at around 4:30 p.m., the time of day when the mind might start wandering, a railroad foreman named Phineas Gage filled a drill hole with gunpowder and turned his head … Continue reading The mythology that circles Phineas Gage
On atheism and agnosticism
Bart Ehrman has a post up featuring an interview on his agnosticism. (If you're short on time, the most relevant part is at the 2:12 point.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeFdhyuVyzI As someone who myself isn't a religious believer, but who also strives to be honest on what the limitations of knowledge are in this area, I find a lot … Continue reading On atheism and agnosticism
SelfAwarePatterns 