Monthly Archives: March 2007

300 Spartans at the Gates of Fire, part 1

“Go tell the Spartans, oh stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.”Simonides If you haven’t seen 300, by all means do so. But think of it as a play rather than a movie. A kabuki or … Continue reading

Posted in Movies, Philosophy, Social Science & History | 2 Comments

Spring break

We just got back last night from a working vacation – in a rental car after our ancient Honda broke down outside of Aurora, Missouri. I had a job interview in St. Louis and rather than have them send me … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

American national character: Rocky and Bullwinkle

“The Dogma of Otherness is a worldview that actually encourages an appetite for newness. A hunger for diversity. An eagerness for change. Tolerance, naturally, plays a major role in the legends spread by this culture. (Look at the underlying message … Continue reading

Posted in Academic, Culture | 5 Comments

American national character: MAD Magazine

“This theme is so prevalent, and so obvious, that even though you can see where I am going with it — and hate the inevitable conclusion — you aren’t going to dispute the core fact. You have to sit there … Continue reading

Posted in Academic, Humor/satire, Social Science & History | 4 Comments

Otherness and "cultural relativism"

In comments to the last post, ‘David Brin’s Otherness’, Doug questions whether this “cultural relativism” has been significant for much more than the past 25 years. I myself don’t think that Otherness is quite the same thing, though I have … Continue reading

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David Brin’s Otherness

I encountered an idea that was to become one of the foundations of my world-view years ago in a short essay by science fiction author David Brin. Like Thomas Sowell’s ‘A Conflict of Visions’, which I will post about anon, … Continue reading

Posted in Academic, Social Science & History | 10 Comments

Ruminations

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a woman who was kidnapped and gang-raped by five men has been sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the company of men not related to her. Her sentence is being appealed to the … Continue reading

Posted in Ruminations | 1 Comment

What happened to our political discourse?

When I came back to America after a thirteen-year absence, a friend told me that political arguments had gotten “mean” in America during the time I’d been away. Everything I’ve seen in the three years I’ve been back has pretty … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Go tell the Spartans…

In a few days 300 will open, and my wife and I are trying to work out the logistics of how we’re going to arrange for her to see it while I take care of the seven-month-old. Our apartment in … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Eleagic mode, Movies, Philosophy | 4 Comments

Am I a Neanderthal?

Wonderful news! My pet crackpot theory may be viable after all. Some time ago in my post “Can you think?” http://rantsand.blogspot.com/2006/10/can-you-think.html I posed this question: “How often have you, after examining the evidence reached a conclusion that was uncomfortable, unsettling … Continue reading

Posted in Science, Social Science & History | 5 Comments