I started writing this in response to the news that the Republicans will have a majority in the House of Representatives. So, it’s a clean sweep: the Presidency, the House, the Senate, and of course the ongoing 6-3 revanchist majority on the Supreme Court. Come January, the Republicans will be able to start implementing theirContinue reading “The Empire Strikes Back”
Category Archives: Philosophical
When We Fight About What Jesus Would Do
I heard a sermon once a few years ago, in a United Methodist congregation that was living in a state of unacknowledged denial about the depth of division within that congregation, within the United Methodist Church, and within the United States writ large. Something about the sermon didn’t sit right with me, and in dueContinue reading “When We Fight About What Jesus Would Do”
Brief Thoughts on Gender
“Masculine” and “feminine” provide a script that says, here are the social roles you perform, here are the family roles you perform, here’s the power and respect you get (or don’t), and here’s a grab-bag of gender-linked personality/hobby/skill things you get to choose from to finish filling out your character sheet in the RPG ofContinue reading “Brief Thoughts on Gender”
Soft Tyranny
I remember when George W. Bush talked about “the soft bigotry of low expectations”. I think we should consider the applicability of a similar spirit to a new category. I think America might have a problem with soft tyranny. We don’t get dragged out of our homes in the middle of the night by theContinue reading “Soft Tyranny”
Certain Death
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the US election, 2020 has given us a lot of food for thought. I think it has shown us the power of certainty, and maybe even moreso the power of the need for certainty, as a force in our lives. We’re not living in an era with a high toleranceContinue reading “Certain Death”
What We Think About When We Think About Thinking
In my philosophy classes in college, I was particularly intrigued by the philosophy of mind, especially the mind-body problem and the qualia problem (the latter also known as “the hard problem of consciousness”). Recognizing that the brain is a physical organ that is implicated in what we observe to be mental processes, the mind-body problemContinue reading “What We Think About When We Think About Thinking”
The Meanings of Life
Awhile back I was introduced to an idea from Hinduism, namely the idea of four discrete life stages, or ashramas. These are defined in the context of what are considered to be the four proper goals for human life, the puruṣārthas. Obviously there are cultural specificities wrapped up in the traditional definitions of these goalsContinue reading “The Meanings of Life”
Taking the Plunge
I spent a long time avoiding starting a blog. No real reason, just didn’t want to bother. Instead, I did my thinking out loud on Facebook, with extremely tight privacy settings. I figured, the people I really know are the people who care — and even a lot of the people I know, probably don’tContinue reading “Taking the Plunge”
Thoughts of Rob 