The most imporant defining characteristic of analytic philosophy is that it is terrible. That’s not what I’m going to write about tonight. The second most important defining characteristic of analytic philosophy is a bit more interesting: it is really big on definitions. Analytic philosophy is the foolish dream of breaking down questions like “do we… [Read more…]
June 28, 2011
I tried to write a post on the G20 anniversary yesterday, where I made a carefully constructed argument about the necessity to remember what happened a year ago in downtown Toronto or some other thing. It didn’t work. I found myself somewhat paralyzed as I tried to type it. For the first time in several… [Read more…]
June 22, 2011
I thought the Canucks riots could be dismissed relatively quickly, but no such luck. Since writing my last post on the events in Vancouver, I have had two real life conversations and one incredibly aggravating twitter exchange with people who think that anarchists were to blame for the riots. They echo statements made by Vancouver Police Chief… [Read more…]
June 19, 2011
Writing about the popular perception of fascism in 1944, George Orwell said the following: “It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print. I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting,… [Read more…]
June 17, 2011
Comparisons between the two are flying fast and furious on Twitter, so I think it’s time to lay out some basic facts. I’m feeling lazy tonight, so I’m going to go over the similarities, most of which are pretty superficial, in point form: Both riots originated from events that are entirely acceptable and even praiseworthy.… [Read more…]
June 15, 2011
The Ontario court of appeal is hearing a case that will probably be the final deciding factor as to whether Canada’s sex work laws continue to exist in their current form. The current legal framework allows sex work, but punishes those who do it by making it illegal for sex workers to take any basic… [Read more…]
June 14, 2011
My last post, in which I wrote a letter to Richard Dawkins which may have been a bit too flattering, has drawn some scorn my way from a few of my readers. After a few well-deserved rebukes, I think it’s necessary to point out that Richard Dawkins is a bit of a tool. I don’t… [Read more…]
June 8, 2011
The situation in the United Kingdom is quite instructive on the effects of austerity measures: they lead to disaster. Canadians would do well to learn from this; Cameron’s policies are a good indication of what Harper has in mind for Canada. Take the education reform bill which was their first meaningful flashpoint in the history of… [Read more…]
June 7, 2011
It’s Tax Freedom Day! According to the Toronto Star, which should really know better than to write about this nonsense, Tax Freedom Day is “the day when the average Canadian family has worked enough to pay its total tax bill to all levels of government for 2009. That’s assuming, of course, they had forked over… [Read more…]
June 5, 2011
There’s not too much that I can add to the discussion of Brigette DePape’s civil disobedience on the senate floor. Driving the Porcelain Bus has a pretty good post about it. Her actions were successful in subverting the occasion of the throne speech and converting it from a propaganda occasion for the Harper government into… [Read more…]
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June 29, 2011
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