Biology Henry Gee’s book “The Accidental Species” 9 Oct 20139 Oct 2013 I have three rules in life. One is, Never get into a land war in Asia. The second is, Locate the nearest exit. The third and most important is: When Henry Gee writes something, believe it. I first encountered Henry through his book In Search of Deep Time, which covered… Read More
Evolution God and Evolution 5: The problem of chance 23 May 201324 May 2013 Many religious thinkers hold that chance is the enemy of God. God is omniscient in many theisms, and so if chance occurs, and chance is unpredictable even for God, then the reality of chance means that God does not exist. This doesn’t apply, of course, to gods that are limited… Read More
General Science Some more on Toulmin 12 Dec 2009 The History of the Philosophy of Science list has been unusually active, and even more unusually fairly restrained and complimentary, in discussing Stephen Toulmin’s significance. One point, made by Avner Cohen, is that Toulmin himself had given an assessment of his work and his modus operandi in an interview in… Read More
Yes, but – what’s the mathematician’s equivalent of the argumentum ad logicam? Just because a proof is wrong doesn’t mean the conclusion’s wrong. Going by that cartoon, circumcision is wrong. Yet, due to this great iteration, passed down from my forefathers[*] through the dim shades of time, I have a ready explanation for every otherwise inexplicable iota of resentment evinced by my 16 year old son. Religion has a purpose, whatever you philosophers say. [*] Yes, that’s right: you always wondered where that term “forefathers” came from.
Yeah, I know: that is a logical, not mathematical proof after all. Sue me, my background’s in the social sciences.