Seeing some unconvincing attempts to solve the Liar Paradox got me thinking: This person is treating the paradox as a sort of word-game brainteaser – they haven’t stopped to reflect on what the significance of the paradox is, and what it is that philosophers of logic are trying to achieve when they address it. Which … Continue reading Kludged Logic: is this a research program?

Just a quick note here, to make a point that I think most people getting into the study of philosophy at university need to hear sooner rather than later: You don’t need to take sides in an ‘Analytics versus Continentals’ (AvC) fight. When I went through undergrad there was a strong ‘feeling in the air’ … Continue reading You Don’t Need to Take Sides in an Analytics versus Continentals Fight

On March 9 I went to the launch a new initiative called The Brisbane Dialogues, which is intended to combat the following problem: Polarisation and toxic discourse - old-fashioned intolerance and incivility on 21st century steroids - should be everyone’s concern. It’s not just in the public arena and not just online, they are seeping through … Continue reading Report-back from the Launch of The Brisbane Dialogues

Having recently realised how much disagreement there can be in the social and behavioural sciences re. the concepts of internet echo chambers and filter bubbles, I got thinking about what a good conceptualisation should look like. I think it is fair to say that the terms are not usually used in a purely descriptive way, … Continue reading Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles

I want to highlight a difference in public comments on the terrorist attack in Christchurch which I think deserves comment. (This was actually written shortly after the attack occurred, but I’m just getting around to posting it now unfortunately…) One type of response is typified by the hashtag #thisisnotus, which became popular in the hours … Continue reading Exceptional Violence