Archive
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Articles
Overt and Conspicuous Religious Symbols
I was wondering whether I should say something about the recently leaked proposal for the “Charter of Quebec Values,” but Mathew has noted some of the major problems ....
Self-Evident Truths and American Independence
One of the common reactions of the British to the American Declaration of Independence was astonishment at the claim of self-evidence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident” is...
Throwing out the Baby with Bentham
If you want to know what unqualified utilitarianism or hedonism is likely to get you, you can hardly do better than starting with Jeremy Bentham. Since many of his...
What Counts as Plagiarism?
The American Copy Editors Society is organizing a National Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication , which will take place on April 5, and this has led a number of...
Boy Scouts and Civil Religion: Harder to Separate than They May Seem
It’s certainly possible that I’m wildly optimistic (it would not be the first time), but I am inclined to disagree with the recent suggestions of Joseph Knippenberg and Matthew...
Reforming Pardons: Time for a New Pardon Attorney?
The U.S. Constitution gives the president the power “to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment,” and at least several of...
Ought and Is
In my philosophical folklore post last week I asked about other tidbits of philosophical folklore, and commenter Ray Ingles gave one example: The “is-ought fallacy” is another recurring ‘folk...
Philosophical Folklore and the Reification Fallacy
Among the many things worth studying, one of the most interesting is what I call ‘philosophical folklore’. Folklore, of course, consists of micro-traditions passed down within communities as part...
