Tag Archives: Philosophy

An obiter dictum on boxing as a metaphor for life…

Posted on August 10, 2014 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

I just saw a clip of Naseem “Prince” Hased in the ring, and it reminded me that I don’t mind trash talk and grandstanding, as long as you can back it up when it counts. And Hased certainly could back … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Happy St. Dominic Day…

Posted on August 8, 2014 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

Some, who think themselves naturally gifted, do not wish to touch either philosophy or logic; nay more, they do not wish to learn natural science. They demand bare faith alone, as if they wished, without bestowing any care on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ein vollkommenes Ersatzleben…

Posted on July 17, 2014 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

Es gibt in dieser Welt kein vollkommen ordentliches Leben. Je ordentlich man seine Umwelt reguliert sowieso kontrolliert, desto unlebendig und eben unmenschlich wird sein Existenz. Sei es der Fall, dass wirklich “alles in Ordnung” ist, denn lebt man eher wie ein Betreuer für die Regelmäßigkeit … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Goodness grows in the generation of substance…

Posted on March 15, 2014 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

A little context: St. Thomas points out that a thing cannot simply be said to be good in the same way that it is called being. Being is said in the first place of the substantial being of things, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

March 13: A day to celebrate!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

“God has given the world a holy Church in whose safe harbor the lovers of truth seek refuge, as well as all those who desire to be saved and to escape the dreadful wrath of God.” –– St. Theophilus of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

ANCIENT SECRETS REVEALED AT LAST!

Posted on January 5, 2014 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

As I just explained, my first protected post was just an experiment. But since the curiosity is probably doing you in, the following is what I posted in that first protected post. ————————– “A new favorite logical conundrum…” Or perhaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Peerless style, conventional content, astounding lapses in logic…

Posted on September 17, 2013 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

[The following is the review I left at Amazon.com after finishing David Eagleman‘s Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain.] Eagleman is a charming writer, but in this book I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew–or rather, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Probably the best philosophical lesson I’ve ever learned…

Posted on September 14, 2013 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

  The only thing worse than philosophers never coming to an agreement is that they’re unknowingly arguing about different things.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Memetics is stupid…

Posted on September 14, 2013 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

If a meme is a conceptual unit that prevails under certain sensory conditions, why not call “Look, it’s raining” a meme? Granting, for the sake of argument, that it is, this is my fundamental objection to memetics: it brings nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

“Philosophy is a dead end”…

Posted on September 13, 2013 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

And other dimwitted complaints. The following, written by Yves Simon, is an excerpt from his acceptance speech for the Aquinas Medal, awarded to him by the American Catholic Philosophical Association. It speaks directly to the intellectual malaise of our scientistic … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Homer had the Iliad…

Posted on May 9, 2012 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

…Kazantzakis had his modern Odyssey. And I? I hope to have The Philiad: An epic poem of philosophical nerdistry. Yes, I’d like to write an epic saga of philosophical wonder. For now I think the structure should be more chronological … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

I want to start a forum…

Posted on April 13, 2012 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

I want to start a forum specifically for seeking help in formulating arguments. Not presenting arguments, not trying to answer questions, not raising new questions, etc. Just trying to flesh out your intuitions, or reject them, and help others do … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Something I can’t get enough of…

Posted on April 10, 2012 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

No, I don’t mean the latest Japanese gameshows. No, I’m talking about what I call armchair skepticism. Pseudo-skepticism. Good old sophistry. I can’t get enough of it. Ordinary language arguments against ordinary language. Reasoned critiques of critical thought. Advisements to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Notes on essence…

Posted on April 5, 2012 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

“Essence” is a placeholder for our grasp of the fact that a thing T is “at the very least Kp”, where p is the exemplification of a certain range of properties P and dispositions D, and K is a genus … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Confessions of a metaphysical rake…

Posted on April 5, 2012 by The Codgitator (a cadgertator)

Physicalism P and/or mind-brain identity MBI cropped up a few weeks ago in a post about “neuroenvy” at Dr. Feser’s blog. It got me reading again on physicalism, namely this exchange between Melnyk (M) and Taliaferro & Goetz (TG) at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment