Category Archives: Uncategorized
Defending economics (again)
From time to time I read one of those articles that attack economics and economists. The latest article of this type has appeared in the Australian edition of the Guardian: if economics is a science, why isn’t it being more helpful? … Continue reading
Reality is not what it seems, by Carlo Rovelli
I have been fascinated by astrophysics for a while. When I was younger, I used to read Stephen Hawking’s books as soon as they hit the stores. There is something fascinating in imagining the structure of the universe, defying common … Continue reading
Post-Truth, by Lee McIntyre
The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history. —George Orwell The book Post-Truth, by Lee McIntyre, opens with the above quote by George Orwell. Orwell, in fact, opens almost every chapter … Continue reading
Hitch 22, by Christopher Hitchens
“The man had more wit, style, and substance than a few civilisations I can name” (Sam Harris remembering to Christopher Hitchens) I don’t think I have ever read an autobiography (or memoirs, which is more precise in this case) in … Continue reading
Leaving the LibDems
After the Brexit referendum, back in June 2016–I remember the moment when I realised that Leave was going to win: I was in a restaurant in Lima, Peru, with my wife’s family, following the news thanks to their Wi-Fi–I felt … Continue reading
Free will
“Do you believe in free will?” “Yes, I have no choice” Christopher Hitchens What is free will? Free will is the ability to choose between different courses of action unimpeded (wikipedia). But what does it mean to be unimpeded? Unimpeded … Continue reading
Abortion
Abortion is a great example of a topic where the two sides argue from completely different perspectives. One side—pro-choice—argues that abortion is a private matter, and hence it is up to the woman to decide. The other—pro-file—claims that a fetus … Continue reading
