Cause and effect–we all believe in it and think we know how it works, but when we stop to think about it, some inconsistencies suggest there’s a lot more to it. And yet who studies the actual workings of cause and effect? Researchers in the philosophy of science–not a specialization you’ve probably heard or thought…
I’m trying a new way to deal with effronteries. When someone does me harm, I have an old habit of compensating myself with the grant of retaliatory superiority. I automatically think, “This proves that I’m different from (and better than) them. I hold to the high standards better than they do, and I’m therefore entitled…
Transceivers transmit and receive, and we do too. “Transceiver bias” is my name for self-image distortions that arise from receiving information about how we’re doing while we’re preoccupied with transmitting information, that is, expressing ourselves. We’re often surprised by photographs of ourselves. They don’t look like what we see in the mirror. Part of this…
You know me. I’ve got hardly any moral principles; I’m all about moral dilemmas. I made the case a while ago (see Liar’s Paradox Moral Litmus Test) that if you can come up with a Liar’s Paradox-like statement regarding some moral principle, then it really isn’t a moral principle. Instead, it’s a moral dilemma. In…
The Golden Rule-do unto others as you would have them do unto you, is about as basic as morality gets. It’s the bridge between empathy and sympathy, between putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and making some accommodation to them as a result. Putting oneself in someone else’s shoes is, of course, a figure of…
Last song in a series of three, here’s one whose target audience is not the middle-aged but rather the young and restless. It was inspired by an argument I couldn’t get started with someone who only wanted to talk about how the media was to blame for youth culture’s slide into promiscuity. I agreed with…
And now, something different. Last week I wrote three articles as songs. Here’s the first, an ironic song that parallels an article I wrote a few months ago called Realincarnation. You’ll find me singing and playing seven-string bass solo on it with a virtual band at www.mindreadersdictionary.com/imsuregonnamissme.mp3 I’m sure gonna miss me when I’m gone.Jeremy…
Doctor: Bob, bad news. You’ve got cancer. Bob: Well, I’m going to want a second opinion. Doctor: All right, you’re ugly too. Joe: X is true. Sue: No it’s not. Joe: You just don’t want to admit it’s true because you’re stubborn. Sue: That’s not true. Joe: Yes it is. Sue: Don’t tell me what…
“You can’t change other people. All you can do is change your attitude.” People say this sort of thing when they’ve decided to stop trying to change someone. Maybe generalizing like this helps convince them to let go, but of course it’s not true. Influence happens. Influence is as old as ecosystems. We are extensions…
People who give advice are annoying, kind, nosy, generous, pushy, helpful, proud, selfless, self-serving, and domineering. My advice is to ignore them completely and at your own expense. I’ve been given advice-and as you know, I give my share of advice, too. Well, perhaps more than my share. I’ve been thinking about the dynamics of…