Determinism – the belief that all events (including animal behavior and human actions) are fixed or ordained before they happen by antecedent conditions or external forces – doesn’t keep me up at night, but it seems to be something of a bogeyman for many people. To my mind, it’s a fantastical notion. Here’s how IContinue reading “The Determinist Fantasy”
Category Archives: Skepticism
The Emergency Disaster Crisis
One reason I don’t pay much attention to the news is that just about everything being reported on is an emergency, a disaster, a crisis! I like to run them all together and say that we’re in the midst of an Emergency Disaster Crisis. Naturally, what you consider part of the Emergency Disaster Crisis is aContinue reading “The Emergency Disaster Crisis”
Cultivating Curiosity
In my drive to hold fewer opinions (or at least hold them less strongly), for a while I tried to cultivate a healthy skepticism about things I believe – for instance, by attempting to question one opinion every week. This didn’t work, at least for me, because it felt too negative. Instead, now I’m workingContinue reading “Cultivating Curiosity”
Questions and Answers
Consider the following statements… “There are no answers, only questions.” “Life is all about the journey, not the destination.” “A teacher or a counselor should encourage dialogue, not provide direction.” All true as far as they go. And yet. Life is finite. There is no escaping the necessity for answers and destinations and directions, evenContinue reading “Questions and Answers”
Opinions vs. Truths
In recent posts we’ve looked into holding opinions about fewer topics, holding multiple opinions about the same topic, and changing our opinions about the opinions that other people hold. But what exactly is an opinion? Let’s take a closer look. Pyrrho, a fascinating but shadowy figure reputed to be the founder of ancient Greek skepticism,Continue reading “Opinions vs. Truths”
Peter Saint-Andre, Philosopher-Coach 