Science began to decline when we began to debate whether some particular bit of knowledge merited the term.
Jan 112023
Thinking
Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in a battle — they are strictly limited in number, require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments.
—Whitehead
Dec 272022
Always keep a book handy for when you’re not up to thinking.
Nov 212022
Necessity is contingency in retrospect.
Nov 092022
Facts do not assemble into truths.
Nov 012022
Whatever everyone is on about you want nothing to do with.
Sep 282022
Moral philosophy warns us sternly against deriving ought from is, when it is far more common, and pernicious, to derive is from ought.
Sep 232022
Crime is like most problems: you don’t need to know the cause to fix it.
Sep 212022
It is glorious to discover a commonplace for oneself.
Sep 082022
The fundamental constraint on action is uncertainty about the future. The fundamental strategy of philosophical hypotheticals is to assume it away.
Sep 022022
Apostasy always trumps heresy. Refusing to join the army may get you jailed, but deserting will get you shot.