A Modest Agenda Proposal

Homosexuality and Eating Disorders, part 2
Click here for part 1
Nathan Richardson
For the first part of this satirical conversation, read “A Modest Lifestyle Proposal.” In it, two people converse about anorexia and bulimia, and what factors might lead to people getting involved in eating disorders. The first speaker (regular typeface) uses arguments in favor of eating [...]

A Modest Lifestyle Proposal

Homosexuality and Eating Disorders, part 1
Nathan Richardson
In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote a satirical piece called “A Modest Proposal,” in which he facetiously suggests that people start eating children in order to solve hunger problems. Swift did not hate children or actually think eating them was a good idea. Being satire, the purpose of his paper [...]

Aristotle’s Views on Law

Jeffrey Thayne
In Plato, we saw a tension between two different accounts of law: one as an imperfect, man-made set of rules established for the purpose of peaceful coexistence, and the other as a divine order encoded into human law by an individual with privileged access to the divine world. Aristotle recognized this distinction, and attempted [...]

In Pursuit of Truth

The Persuasive Power of Science: Part 1
Jeffrey Thayne
In our age, science has attained a respected status that has largely gone unchallenged. I suspect there are many good reasons for this. Clearly, we have many conveniences today that we commonly attribute to the scientific endeavor. This is certainly a good thing. Brent Slife and Richard Williams [...]

California Marriage Amendment

This post will remain at the forefront of our site until 5 Nov. 2008. However, we will continue to post new articles in the meantime, so don’t forget to scroll down and see what’s new!
On 4 Nov. 2008, California citizens will vote on whether to add a new amendment to the state constitution. Only fourteen [...]

The Purposes of Law

Philosophy of Law Notes: Part 2
Jeffrey Thayne
Before we discuss Aristotle’s thoughts on law, we must consider for a moment the purpose of law. Robin Letwin, in her chapter on Aristotle, introduces two distinct views of law that she finds hints of in Aristotle (and the beginnings of which in Plato). This distinction is helpful in [...]

Plato’s Views on Law

Philosophy of Law Notes: Part 1
Jeffrey Thayne
Last weekend, I posted notes from my philosophy of law class on this site. The post was quite lengthy, and I have decided to divide it into a series of shorter posts, which I will repost over time. Again, I am not arguing any particular point of view here; [...]

Spiritual Algebra

Nathan Richardson
When I was a kid, we had an Apple IIe with a fun little game called Function Machine (here is a similar example).

Put in …

Out comes …

2
4

5
7

6
8

Pattern

MyNumber + 2

You pick a number to put in the machine, it chugs a little, and out comes a different number. For example, [...]

I Know That I Am Nothing

Jeffrey Thayne
Today, we hear a lot about the importance of self-confidence and self-esteem. Where does this concept originate? Well, sometimes we think poorly of ourselves. The oft-proposed solution is that we should think more highly of ourselves. I think the intent behind this idea is probably good; clearly, self-derogatory thoughts are not constructive, and probably [...]