Category Archives: Philosophy

Eat your heart out Sartre: Los Angeles is existentialism made concrete

Posted on October 11, 2018 by

Los Angeles is where you confront the objective fact that you mean nothing… You don’t matter… In Los Angeles you can be standing next to another human being but you may as well be standing next to a geological formation. … Continue reading →

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Two idiots talk about hurricanes

Posted on October 4, 2018 by

First Idiot: Donald Trump, President of the United States Ray H.   Second Idiot: a gay hating Texan fundamentalist “Just last week the state of Texas failed to pass a bill patterned after the North Carolina bathroom bill that would … Continue reading →

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G E Moore on Wittgenstein

Posted on September 20, 2018 by

When Wittgenstein submitted the Tractatus as his doctoral dissertation, G. E. Moore is reputed to have sent in an examiner’s report including the words, “It is my personal opinion that Mr. Wittgenstein’s thesis is a work of genius; but, be … Continue reading →

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John Kenneth Galbraith’s Wealth and Poverty (1963)

Posted on August 2, 2018 by

“The modern conservative… not even especially modern… is engaged… in one of man’s oldest, best financed, most applauded, and, on the whole, least successful exercises in moral philosophy. That is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness….Social Security … Continue reading →

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The economics of human organs as ‘spare parts’

Posted on January 19, 2018 by

“… consider the idea of establishing a market for human organs. For example, the buying and selling of kidneys is currently illegal in the United States and United Kingdom. But demand for kidneys outstrips the supply of kidneys. More people … Continue reading →

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Why Can’t Babies Vote? Insights from the Sorites Paradox

Posted on October 27, 2017 by

The 1918 Representation of the People Act swept away gender and property as qualifications for the franchise, leaving age as the sole criterion. Although there’s been tinkering with the actual age at which British citizens can vote, the principle remains … Continue reading →

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Our intolerant society: a rough sleeper in our tower block – London Borough of Havering 2018

Posted on August 11, 2017 by

On our Council estate in north-east London we have a diverse group of people including some very obnoxious individuals. At the repulsive end of the spectrum our caretaker came across a woman sleeping rough in the basement of one of … Continue reading →

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