Winter’s Haven

This post is devoted to refuting an impressively lame epistemology paper. John Turri presents a novel line of reasoning which, he claims, allows one to gain a priori knowledge of contingent facts. The relevant section begins on page 19:

Sam considers whether the most unlikely possible event is not presently occurring. By ‘the most unlikely possible [...]

[Tim Minchin performs his poem "Storm".]

Hat tip to Rebecca Watson.

Mark Thoma argues that a major problem impeding the resolution of the financial crisis is

the complete breakdown of traditional information flows, and a loss of confidence in the models used to evaluate that information. Markets need information to work properly, and the information financial markets need is not available.
For example, investors can no longer [...]

By day he’s a physicist at Caltech, but Sean’s posts at Cosmic Variance include some of the clearest and most level-headed discussion of epistemology to be found anywhere (regardless of academic department).
In a recent post, he carefully explains why it is unreasonable, in light of our best physical theories, to believe in telekinesis and other [...]

I found this comic via Hemant.

That hypothetical situation sure showed what an intellectually dishonest fellow that fictional atheist was! I have no idea whether this comic is trying to make some sort of point, or what that point might be.
The only reason I’m posting this is because I’ve long dreamed of launching an array of [...]

Two excellent posts from Megan McArdle show why it is very difficult for any of us to answer that question with any certainty. (Well, it’s an easy question to answer for people who are openly and proudly racist. For the rest of us who’d like to think the answer is no, it’s a fine little [...]

Some people think that scientists doing theoretical work can use mathematics to prove things about the real world a priori of any empirical investigation. This is wrong. Allow me to explain.
It is true that the results of pure mathematics do follow from whatever axioms one starts with a priori of any empirical observations. Indeed, empirical [...]

In case you weren’t aware, the vast majority of mainstream media sucks. One big problem is sensationalism bias; however, I can almost forgive them for this, since they are at least acting in their own self-interest by reporting the sensational and extraordinary. What’s truly and utterly pathetic is the media’s tendency to just transcribe whatever [...]

From Physorg.com:
Swiss council workers had to chop down part of a tree to clear a German truck which got stuck in a narrow dead end because of its driver’s blind faith in his onboard navigation system, police said.
The 37 year-old driver, who was looking for the factory where he was due to drop [...]

I recently discovered the comic strip Thad Guy, which might be described as a love child of Dinosaur Comics and xkcd. Thad Guy often takes a comically twisted look at substantive philosophical issues. Here’s one of my favorites:

…and that guy’s dangerous-looking goatee really ties the strip together.