Leon Wieseltier offers a great sermon against scientism. The question of the place of science in knowledge, and in society, and in life, is not a scientific question. Science confers no special authority, it confers no authority at all, for…
Philosophy
Philosophy
A Story about Bertrand Russell’s Plane Crash
by Rafe Kinsey •
In the past few days, a video has been circulating of an interview where Bertrand Russell credits smoking with saving his life.1 Russell explains: In fact, you know, on one occasion [smoking] saved my life. I was in an airplane,…
Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy
A Sonnet for Morgenbesser: Dear Astrophil, Love Stella
by Rafe Kinsey •
Two summers ago, I sat in on a wonderful introductory poetry course taught by John Whittier-Ferguson. Among the poems we read was Sir Philip Sidney’s sonnet Astrophil and Stella 63 (“O Grammar rules…”). In this sonnet sequence,1 Astrophil is less…