A grudging willingness to admit error does not suffice; you have to cultivate a taste for it.
Jun 272013
Erring
Error is boundless.
Nor hope nor doubt,
Though both be groundless,
Will average out.
—Cunningham
Jun 212013
Dark motives lurk where independent beliefs cluster.
May 302013
A man will sooner confess a great crime than a small error.
Apr 302013
The stupid delude themselves that anything is possible; the clever, that whatever they cannot do cannot be done.
Apr 052013
The superstitions of a culture are easily discerned: they are the matters on which everyone agrees.
Mar 122013
A new law is passed. We do not read it; would not understand it if we read it; could not foresee its consequences if we understood it; yet hold an unalterable opinion of its merits.
Feb 132013
Philosophy begins by asserting that appearance is not reality — that all is water, or fire, or does not move. It thus begins in sin.
Jan 232013
How to Solve Problems
1. Ask if the problem exists.
2. Ask if it is not trivial.
3. Ask if you can do anything about it.
4. Ignore it.
Jan 152013
To determine who is expert requires an expert.
Dec 212012
Our collective delusion that we can fix most problems is another problem we can’t fix.