I’m appalled. Saddened and appalled. Some time last year I heard that there was a plan to introduce ethics classes into public schools. I thought that was a great idea. It was a bittersweet moment, as it went along with finding out that there was religious instruction in public schools – which coming from...
“Who’s the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?” - Obi Wan Kenobi, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope I bang on a lot about the importance of rationality, and critical thinking; not blindly accepting information as given, but checking it out first. However, there is a lot of information out...
Happy New Year/decade (ok, Dr Plait, I will give in … I’ll even give in to Erik Larsen’s demands we say “twenty-ten” if I get a flying car out of it). As well as New Year’s Day, today is Friday. It’s also a day off work. So I figured I might as...
I had intended that today’s Friday Filosophy would be a further exploration of the theme I began a few weeks back: that of understanding one’s choices (rather than philosophy in fact determining one’s actions). However, Age of Autism have derailed that, by illustrating absolutely perfectly how one should not approach a debate. (Its now...
I was thinking today (believe it or not). I was thinking about what my children might learn at school, and what I think they will need. While there are certain basic facts they will need, I think that overall it is an approach to knowledge that is needed. Rather than just knowing stuff, they...
