Dibs and dobs 28 Oct 2008 One of the downsides to being old is that your favourite teachers die. I learned most of what I know about the Empiricists, in particular John Locke, from a book by C. B. Martin, who passed away recently. Hat tip to Leiter. I didn’t know he spent so much time in Australia. John Lynch is tantalising me with a workshop I very much want to go to but can’t: The 2009 ASU-MBL History of Biology Seminar: Theory in the Life Sciences. It looks like enormous fun (hey, I’m a philosopher: I use philosophical values of “fun”). I Have Views on what counts as a theory in life sciences, and I’d love to see how well they hold up under withering scorn criticism. [If any of my incredibly wealthy readers want to stump for a plane ticket, I can stay with Lynch again. He didn’t mind the snoring much…] The internet filter issue is gathering speed. A good criticism is made by Argosy about the failure of internet filtering in Pakistan and China. Education General Science Internet filtering Technology
Book On rules 1 Jun 2009 My friend and colleague William Grey gave me a copy of F. M. Cornford’s Microcosmographia Academica, in which I read this passage which is so apposite to the modern day: The principle of Discipline (including Religion) is that ‘there must be some rules‘. If you inquire the reason, you will… Read More
Education Drama, journalism and science 17 Feb 201317 Feb 2013 Recently the Jonah Lehrer scandal was raised again when he was paid $20,000 to speak on his journalistic dishonesty by the Knight Foundation. I cynically noted on Twitter that being honest and as accurate as I could be netted me exactly nothing in the way of honoraria (I think I… Read More
Australian stuff Musgrave on vaccine denialism 4 Sep 2009 Ian Musgrave has a smackdown of the false claims and, let’s face it, criminal lies by the antivaxxers in Australia here. Since Ian always knows whereof he speaks, it is a useful and educational post. About a decade ago, a medical researcher at the place I worked, who also practised… Read More
I never met the man. But there’s a link to a PDF of his obit at the U Calgary link (first one given).
This is very sad. I have Martin’s The Mind In Nature (2008) right next to me as I read this. I picked it up from my library at my university the day before he died–last Wednesday. So far, this is an interesting, austere book–much inside to be admired and fruitfully studied. If the publication was anything like the man, what interesting details can you give us about him, John? Mourning together, BR