A Philosopher’s View of the World
Abortion, Women & the Right
For years, the right passed anti-choice laws in the hope they would end up in the Supreme Court and lead to the overturning of Roe v Wade. They finally succeeded
Race/Gender Swapping: Why Not Just Create New Characters?
In fiction, race/gender swapping occurs when an established character’s race or gender is changed. For example, the original Nick Fury character in Marvel is a white man but was
Fictional Outrage at Fiction, Revisited
Inuendo Studios presents an excellent and approachable analysis of the infamous Gamer Gate and its role in later digital radicalization. This video inspired me to think about manufactured outrage, which
Ivermectin & Epistemology, Revisited
During the last pandemic, Americans who chose to forgo vaccination were hard hit by COVID. In response, some self-medicated with ivermectin. While this drug is best known as a horse
“My Body, My Choice”: Pro-Choice & Anti-Vaccine Analogy, Revisited
In a clever bit of rhetoric, people who opposed mask and vaccine mandates during the last pandemic used pro-choice terms. For example, a person opposed to getting vaccinated might say
Refusing” vs “Declining” Vaccines, Revisited
Because of the psychological power of rhetoric, words do matter. Words have both a denotation (the meaning) and a connotation (the emotions and associations invoked). Words that have the
The Mask Mandate & Voter Laws Analogy, Revisited
In the last pandemic Americans were caught up in a political battle over masks. Those who opposed mask mandates tended to be on the right; those who accepted mask mandates
Value Vagueness
While Republican politicians in my adopted state of Florida profess to love freedom, they have been busy passing laws to restrict freedom. During the last pandemic Governor DeSantis opposed mask
Recent Comments
- paul Van Pelt on Race/Gender Swapping: Why Not Just Create New Characters?
- paul Van Pelt on Race/Gender Swapping: Why Not Just Create New Characters?
- paul Van Pelt on Fictional Outrage at Fiction, Revisited
- paul Van Pelt on Ivermectin & Epistemology, Revisited
- paul Van Pelt on Ivermectin & Epistemology, Revisited