A Philosopher’s View of the World
Critical Thinking & Pandemics IV: Argument from Authoritarian
While it would be irrational to reject medical claims of health care experts in favor of those made by a ruler, this happened in the last pandemic and will happen
Critical Thinking & Pandemics III: Argument from Authority
During the next pandemic, accurate information will be critical to your wellbeing and even survival. Some sources will mean well but will unintentionally spread misinformation. Malicious sources will be spreading
Critical Thinking & Pandemics II: Credibility
While assessing the credibility of sources is always important, the next pandemic will make this a matter of life and death. Those of us who are not epidemiologists or medical
Critical Thinking & Pandemics I: Assessing Claims
Critical thinking can save your life, especially during a pandemic of pathogens, disinformation and misinformation. While we are not in a pandemic as this is being written, it is a
Lessons from COVID-19 VIII: The State
The philosophical debate over the power and purpose of the state is ancient, but COVID-19 provided a new context for the discussion. Responding to a pandemic requires a robust state
Lessons from COVID-19 VII: Critical Unity
Anyone familiar with sports knows that if team members don’t work together, things will go badly. So good athletes set aside internal conflicts when on the field and come together
Lessons from COVID-19 VI: Sacrifices
As the COVID-19 pandemic played out, Trump wavered on social distancing. One reason was that billionaires argued for getting back to work during the pandemic. In neutral terms, their argument
Lessons from COVID-19 V: Xenophobia & Racism
As COVID-19 ravaged humanity, xenophobia and racism remained alive and well. For example, an Iranian leader played on fears of America and Israel. He advanced, without evidence, the claim that
Recent Comments
- A fan on Critical Thinking & Pandemics IV: Argument from Authoritarian
- paul Van Pelt on Critical Thinking & Pandemics III: Argument from Authority
- paul Van Pelt on Critical Thinking & Pandemics III: Argument from Authority
- A fan on Critical Thinking & Pandemics IV: Argument from Authoritarian
- paul Van Pelt on Critical Thinking & Pandemics II: Credibility