Philosophy

I wrote these two laws down on a scrap of paper years ago. I still have the scrap of paper but not the original reference. Harris's First Law: Belief in the truth of a theory is inversely proportional to the precision of the science. Harris's … [Read more...] about Belief in the Truth of a Theory (Again)

In 1960 famous Austrian economist and political philosopher Friedrich Hayek wrote an essay entitled ‘Why I Am Not a Conservative’ explaining that a fundamental trait of the conservative attitude is a fear of change while the liberal position is based … [Read more...] about Why I am a Dynamist

The ability to “read the play” is a quality often ascribed to successful politicians, businessmen and sportsmen. The term refers to the ability to predict events and then to take an advantageous position in expectation of the prediction coming to … [Read more...] about Reading the Play – by Roger Underwood

Natural and cultural heritage has differential value; what is priceless and irreplaceable to some is disposable to others. This differentiation is cause for many conflicts and manifests anywhere from highly localised disputes to the very core of … [Read more...] about The Differential Value of Heritage

The ideal of scientific objectivity has been subverted — even in the world's most prestigious universities — by the pernicious and pervasive influence of postmodernism, laments scientist Dr Walter Starck. Over recent decades a few widely publicised … [Read more...] about Postmodern Science – A Contradiction in Terms: A Note from Walter Starck

David Tribe sent me a link to a piece by Steven Pinker titled 'Less Faith, More Reason'. Here's an extract: "Missing from the report is a sensitivity to the ennobling nature of knowledge: to the inherent value, with consequences too far-reaching to … [Read more...] about The Discoveries of Science: Comment from Steven Pinker