Some absent-minded link-hopping on Wikipedia last night led me to some interesting first human achievements in photography. I thought you might enjoy them as well. So, here's the very first photograph, from 1826! The photo is by a Frenchman, with the wonderful name of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. It's an amazing image, capturing the view outside … Continue reading Some Firsts
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Three Stops from the City to the Suburbs
One of my favorite things to experience from great albums is a sense of place. Sometimes it’s over-the-top and therefore a failure (I’m apparently in the minority, but I just can’t get into Exile on Main Street). Sometimes it’s more subtle, but therefore more compelling. Every time I’m in London, The Clash’s London Calling or … Continue reading Three Stops from the City to the Suburbs
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I was tempted not to see this movie, assuming it would be just another hipster-doofus romance in Michael Cera's increasingly arrested film development. And Scott Pilgrim certainly is that. But I'm happy to report that it's also a remarkably inventive and entertaining movie. If you haven't seen the previews, the basic idea is to imagine … Continue reading Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
More Handwringing about the Value of Philosophy
Via Leiter Reports, I checked out a recent NYT feature called 'Room for Debate' (http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/8/19/x-phis-new-take-on-old-problems) in which smart people weigh-in on questions of general interest/social importance. In the latest installment, six eminent philosophers (one, I hate to admit, younger than me) offer responses to this question: Do experimental methods offer new horizons for philosophy departments, … Continue reading More Handwringing about the Value of Philosophy
Spanning Time
There's a fun discussion of Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66 over at the AV Club -- including a clip of the great photo-booth scene. I was struck by the fact that Scott Tobias seemed very concerned that his readers' lack of empathy for Gallo's character would prevent them from being able to appreciate the movie. I … Continue reading Spanning Time
Prison Ethics
I'm currently reading Dostoevsky's prison memoir, The House of the Dead. I'll have more to say about it when I finish (though my progress has slowed substantially since restarting gainful employment for the fall). So for now I'm just asking a question, one posed in the opening section of D's 1861 work. ... it seems … Continue reading Prison Ethics
On the Idea of Public Justification
Given our preceding discussion of Rawls’ intended scope for his theory of justice as fairness, I thought it might be useful to say a bit more about his idea of public justification. First, a bit of groundwork. Rawls writes at the beginning of Political Liberalism, “Justice as fairness starts from within a certain political tradition … Continue reading On the Idea of Public Justification
A Nasty Anecdote
One of the most memorable episodes from Don Quixote, one which in fact I blogged about in this space a few years ago, involves Quixote’s visit to a farm. He and Sancho happen upon a peasant being abused by his overseer. The peasant describes a tale of woe to Quixote; Quixote in exchange offers to … Continue reading A Nasty Anecdote
The Insulted and Injured
This is the first major novel D wrote after returning from exile. I read a rather strange translation – it’s by Ignat Avsey, and he’s titled it Humiliated and Insulted. I’ve gone with Frank’s translation to title this blog. As far as the translation goes, this was the only one I could find in English … Continue reading The Insulted and Injured
On getting into position
OK, I finally got my hands on a copy of Theory of Justice. Sorry for the delay. Our previous discussion of Rawls has been fascinating and has gone in a lot of different directions. I have a better sense now of the rational/reasonable distinction that Rawls is employing, and I now recognize that Rawls doesn't … Continue reading On getting into position
