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The Syllogisms of Seinfeld

There is more logic in humor than in anything else. Because, you see, humor is truth. — Victor Borge Comedians aren’t often known for their critical thinking skills and Mr. Spock —the Vulcan embodiment of cool logic—wasn’t known for his jokes. So at first glance it might . . . . Continue Reading »

A Different Take on Avatar

I saw Avatar a couple of nights ago with the words of many earlier critics in mind. The template was in place. This would be a left-wing, pantheistic film. Coming out of it, I think Avatar is more complex than that. Whether or not Cameron intended that complexity, I don’t . . . . Continue Reading »

Where Have All the Evangelicals Gone?

”..for instance in England, there was a vogue for the term, “post-Evangelical.” That’s absolutely ludicrous. If someone is an ex-Evangelical, in other words, they once were an Evangelical, but no longer are, then terrific. At least they’re honest enough to say so, I . . . . Continue Reading »

Conservative and Liberal Habits of Mind

It’s a blessing to have smart readers, and I’ve profited from the string of comments about the differences between conservative and liberal mentalities. Some point out that the Bush administration had its share of ideological blindness, especially with regard to policies after the . . . . Continue Reading »

Are fMRI Studies a Red Herring?

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique for measuring brain activity by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur in response to neural activity. For the past few decades it has been considered one of the most promising tools in neuroscience research for . . . . Continue Reading »

Tehran Isn’t Berlin—It’s Tiananmen Square

Bloody confrontations erupted again yesterday between the Iranian government and pro-reform activists. As often happens in such circumstances, otherwise sober analysts become intoxicated on the fumes of revolution, leading them to reject realism in favor of ahistorical analogies. Robin Wright, a . . . . Continue Reading »

The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

Today we commemorate and remember those first martyrs of the New Testament era, the Holy Innocents slaughtered by wicked King Herod in Bethlehem. We may wonder why, in this “season of joy and happiness” we have in the Church Year the commemoration of the murder of St. Stephen, and then, a couple . . . . Continue Reading »

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