Philosophy

Kyle Rittenhouse and the Individual’s Choice to Take the Witness Stand 0
- Philosophy
- November 12, 2021
I’ve watched the Kyle Rittenhouse court proceedings this week with interest, not only because they are a microcosm of the cultural struggle over basic constitutional rights, but because they’ve turned into a fascinating legal drama. Who needs television shows such as Law and Order when you have a judge continually hauling the prosecution to the
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Seventy Years Old and an NBA Star (in My Mind)1
- Philosophy
- July 12, 2021
I’m 70 years old, 5’7”, and a bit past my ideal measurement on the Body Mass Index. Let’s say I wake up tomorrow morning, look at myself in the mirror, and suddenly decide I’m capable of hitting three pointers in the National Basketball Association. I see myself soaring through the air like Michael Jordan, ball
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Why ‘It Doesn’t Affect You’ Is (Usually) a Bad Argument 0
- Philosophy
- June 9, 2021
About a month ago, I confronted an odd-looking man who had flagrantly double-parked his beat-up truck in the grocery store parking lot. Not only did he refuse to move; he also seemed incapable of understanding why anyone would have a problem with what he’d done. “What do you care?” he blustered. “You’re already parked, and
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The Iron Fist in the Velvet Glove 2
- Philosophy
- September 30, 2020
In the month of October, expect political vitriol like you’ve never seen before – all centered on the elections and the nomination of a new Supreme Court justice. No matter what side you’re on – or even if, like me, you’re not ecstatic about any side – the spectacle should teach us a larger lesson
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Booker T. Washington’s Rule for Living 0
- Philosophy
- September 15, 2020
In an 1895 speech, Booker T. Washington shared this parable about a ship lost in saltwater seas and dangerously out of drinking water. Suddenly, the lost ship sees another friendly vessel: From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal: ‘Water, water. We die of thirst.’ The answer from the friendly vessel at
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French Philosopher Decries Corona ‘Madness’0
- Philosophy
- August 14, 2020
Earlier this year the coronavirus pandemic caught Bernard-Henri Lévy, France’s rock-star public intellectual, overseas. He had been reporting on the plight of Lesbos, the Aegean island crowded with refugees from Syria, and then of Bangladesh, which was attempting to cope not only with COVID-19 but also Islamic extremism, hundreds of thousands of Royhingya refugees, climate
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