Archive for December, 2007

Two Diagrams, A Drawing and a Poem

Friday, December 21st, 2007

From Mark Wilson, “Theory Façades”, in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Vol. 104, No. 1, December 2004, pp. 273–288.

From Alan Baker, “Complexity Unfavoured”, in Analysis, Vol. 68, No. 297, January 2008, pp. 85–88.

Martin Russocki, “Untitled Subway Portrait”, from The Threepenny Review, Issue 85, Spring 2001.

Reprinted in Harper’s, Vol. 304, No. 1820, January 2002, p. 28.

[...]

Journal Paper Title of the Day

Friday, December 14th, 2007

Anja Löbert, “Cliff Richard’s Self-Presentation as a Redeemer”, in Popular Music, Vol. 27, No. 1, January 2008, pp. 77-97.

Although tremendously popular, Great Britain’s long-term icon Cliff Richard has been widely neglected by popular music studies. This article aims to correct this omission by introducing an argument that claims that Cliff Richard portrays himself to a [...]

The Rewards of Knowledge

Friday, December 14th, 2007

We learn about the perks that accompany a Nobel Prize, including a living alarm clock in the form of a white-robed soprano sporting a tiara of lit candles.

Jerry A. Coyne, “The Complex James Watson”, in The Times Literary Supplement, 12 December 2007.

Unenlightening Simile of the Day

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

The rejection of group selection in the 1960s was based on three arguments, like the legs of a stool [...]

David Sloan Wilson and Edward O. Wilson, “Rethinking the Theoretical Foundation of Sociobiology”, in The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 82, No. 4, December 2007, p. 331.

Hyperbolic Jacket Blurb of the Day

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

Furthermore, it provides a resolution of the long-standing debate between empiricism and realism.

Craig Dilworth, The Metaphysics of Science: An Account of Modern Science in Terms of Principles, Laws and Theories, 2nd Ed, Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 173, Springer, Amsterdam, 2007.

Quote of the Day

Saturday, December 8th, 2007

In this respect, an opera is like a living thing—like a porcupine, say.

Joseph Raz, The Practice of Value, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005, p. 78.

Quote of the Day

Sunday, December 2nd, 2007

The painter might be at a loss to paint a picture of an idea, especially if he is not familiar with conceptual art.

Gilbert Harman, “The Intrinsic Quality of Experience”, in Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 4, Action Theory and Philosophy of Mind, 1990, pp. 31–52.