What I want when I want to be free

I would very much like it to be the case that I am free.  But what (I've been wondering) is it that I want?

I don't just want to have choices-- to be able to choose A or B.  Sure, it would be nice if I could have chosen chocolate, though I chose strawberry, but really, so what?  I'm not too distressed by the idea that I'm a strawberry-choosing marionette.

The best way I can explain what I do

Haley Barbour's Pardons

Haley "drunk drivers are my friends" Barbour

When Mississippi governor Haley Barbour left office last month, he created a furor by pardoning 198 convicted criminals.  The New York Times today describes some of the people pardoned, and the connections they had.  This is one of the most shocking articles I've ever read in the Times. That Barbour continues to have respect and influence in the

Atheist Temples

This looks like a tower in which you'd imprison a princess for 100 years, but it's supposed to be a temple to atheism--or more precisely, a temple to science and nature.  More about Alain de Botton's proposal here.  His new book, Religion for Atheists, says religion offers people many needed things, and atheists shouldn't give them up.  We need temples, special days on the calendar, networks

Tightwaddery 101

And I thought my classes were pretty fun and innovative.  Here's Emrys Westacott talking about one of his classes--

I teach a course here at the university called Tightwaddery, the Good Life on a Dollar a Day.
It’s what we call an honours class, a two-credit evening class and it’s
both serious and somewhat light-hearted. We read Epicurus, we read
Thoreau, we read articles about consumerism

Sleep Remedy

This may help you sleep better tonight.  From Real Clear Politics--

Do animals have inherent value?

I haven't read it yet, but this post by Rhys Southan on whether animals have inherent value looks interesting.

Also on my things-to-read list:  "Expected Utility, Contributory Causation, and Vegetarianism" (Gaverick Matheny).  You can find it here.

The Reasons behind Mormon Polygamy and Fecundity

This is fun!  From a book called Favorite Wife, by Susan Ray Schmidt. She was one of 10 wives of a man who had a total of 58 children before she left "the life" (oooh, creepy term!).



So ... you've got God up there creating lots of spirit-children with heavenly Mothers (God is a polygamist!), and it would be a very bad thing if they didn't get to be born into fleshly bodies and raised in Mormon

The Other Border

The innumerable Santorums

Update:  Mark Oppenheimer talks about the large families of the Republican candidates in today's New York Times.  It's more amazing than I realized.  Santorum: 7,  Huntsman: 7, Bachman: 5, Romney: 5, Paul: 5

**

Irony alert. There's something very odd about the fact that Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are so passionate about stopping the flow of illegal immigrants

What's so bad about SOPA?

Should this man get paid for his songs?  (Yes.)

Update (1/19):  I was happy to see this from Brian Leiter today:  "it seems to me that cyber-space is under-regulated by the law, which
explains why it has become a repository for so much garbage, defamation,
and invasion of privacy, as well as copyright violations.  (It's a
shame, but predictable, that only the latter really gets the

The Value of Prayer

Julian Baggini acknowledges the value of prayer, despite being a non-believer:

I do think that prayer, like many rituals, is something that the
religious get some real benefits from that are just lost to us heathens.
One reason is that many of these rituals are performed communally, as
part of a regular meeting or worship. This means there is social
reinforcement. But the main one is that

2012 Discoveries (So Far)

I've made a surprising number of discoveries already in 2012 - apparently it's going to be a great year.  Without further ado:

(1)  Soba noodles.  Really good, do not accept whole wheat as a substitute. Soba noodles contain buck wheat as well as whole wheat.

(2) The world's smallest frog.  Need I say more?




(3)  Portlandia.  Just saying that I watch it establishes that I'm cool.  (Shhh! 

Everlasting Everything

Next time I teach my course on the meaning of life I will have to discuss the lyrics of "Everlasting Everything," a (swoon) fantastic song from Wilco (The Album).

Santorum on Gay Marriage and Polygamy

It looks like Rick Santorum is going to be around for a while.  In fact a horrible thought has entered my mind: he's eventually going to be Mitt Romney's running mate.  So we're going to have to listen to him on the subject of gay marriage and abortion for some time to come.  It's heartening that he was booed over his stance on gay marriage at a New Hampshire event yesterday.  But better

Feminist Philosophy Playlist

Now this is fun.  Via Feminist Philosophers.

I need to create an environmental ethics playlist.  First job: make myself listen to Bjork, Biophilia.  (First impression is merely hmm.)

New Issue of TPM

A nice feature of the new TPM website is that all the reviews are now online.  Check it out!  Here's the line up--

Sticky Music

I'm still on winter break and not quite focused, so pardon my continuing obsession with The Shins. Let's see if we can get a little reflection going anyway.  Question:  what makes their music so damned sticky?!  I adored the song below (from Chutes Too Narrow) the very first time I heard it. This morning I woke up literally hearing it.  What gives, and why is it that so many Shins songs are so

HA!!!!!!!!!!

And now for some super-subtle, astute political commentary.


HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slam, Dunk, No Free Will?

Here's Jerry Coyne at his blog today, discussing his column arguing against free will in USA Today:
Compatibilists resemble theologians in many ways, not the least of which is that they both engage in endless lucubrations trying to show that something that doesn’t exist, but that is necessary for our psychological well-being, really does exist in some form or another. People hate the idea