Calculating God

Calculating God

When I go to the gym I get easily bored, so I listen to either music or, more likely, audiobooks. Recently, I’ve spent exercise time with a couple of scifi entries by author Robert Sawyer. I started…
Are There Natural Laws?

Are There Natural Laws?

I recently attended a talk by Daniel Garber (Princeton University) on the topic of “God, Laws and the Order of Nature in the Scientific Revolution.” While Garber’s talk was mostly historical in…
Is The Perverse Antisocial The Price For Peace?

Is The Perverse Antisocial The Price For Peace?

A young woman, a student it seems from the looks of it, shuffles in bursts behind me, in small steps one foot just in front of the other, staring down, then she wiggles her head at the sky, then she…
Why Not Pay People To Become Kidney Donors?

Why Not Pay People To Become Kidney Donors?

When organ donations after death are a topic, the altruism argument is easily made. But during life, it is more complex. Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for patients with kidney failure…
The Metaphysics Wars

The Metaphysics Wars

I am not a metaphysician (or a metaphysicist, as some call themselves), but I've been fascinated for a while by what I've come to think of as the metaphysics wars. Let me explain. Metaphysics is, of…
Doing Philosophy Of Science, An Example

Doing Philosophy Of Science, An Example

I have recently been to the European Philosophy of Science Association meeting, where my colleague Maarten Boudry and I have hosted a symposium on our recently published book on the Philosophy of…