Also one or two key non-thinkers.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Our Debt to Derrida 
Oct 12th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He allowed Braddon to sit down next to the Brontes. … Read the rest
The Hunting of the Top Quark
Oct 11th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A non-physicist philosopher of science got it right. Makes a change.… Read the rest
History, Fiction, Truth, Evidence, Details
Oct 11th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Details matter; it is unwise to make them up if you want to be believed.… Read the rest
Scott McLemee on Derrida
Oct 11th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘An approach that could push one’s mental stamina to the limits.’… Read the rest
The War on Science, Bush Division, Again
Oct 11th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If agencies say what you don’t want to hear, then re-organize them.… Read the rest
Blore Moor I Mean More Bloor
Oct 9th, 2004 8:51 pm | By Ophelia BensonA little more Bloor for you, in case you’ve been missing him.
The law which is at work here appears to be this: those who are defending a society or a subsection of society from a perceived threat will tend to mystify its values and standards, including its knowledge…[T]he variable of perceived threat operating upon underlying social metaphors explains the differential tendency to treat knowledge as sacred and beyond the reach of scientific study.
This is interesting stuff, because what Bloor means by ‘beyond the reach of scientific study’ is ‘not considered amenable to substantive analysis by people who are not trained in the subject.’ That is, he is claiming (in great detail, e.g. via an extended comparison of Popper … Read the rest
UN Investigates Sugar Industry
Oct 9th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Did sugar industry fund human dietary requirements study?… Read the rest
E Nesbit Eschewed Whimsy and Sentiment
Oct 9th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She feels more edgy and disconcerting than many contemporary children’s writers. … Read the rest
Le Monde Interview with Derrida
Oct 9th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dangerously ill, but writing and talking nonetheless.… Read the rest
Jacques Derrida est Mort
Oct 9th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Le Monde says Derrida was French philosopher best known abroad, especially in US.… Read the rest
Derrida’s Dead
Oct 9th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He died on Friday. He was suffering from pancreatic cancer.… Read the rest
Churches Launch Climate Campaign
Oct 9th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not yet clear what role God will be playing.… Read the rest
The Restorative Power of Jesus Christ
Oct 8th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And the refusal of contraceptives to unmarried women. Great appointment.… Read the rest
The War on Science, Bush Division
Oct 8th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Author of As Jesus Cared for Women appointed to reproductive health drugs advisory committee of FDA.… Read the rest
