Suppose we are legal residents of Arizona, and a law has recently been passed which demands of all legal residents that they report suspected illegal immigrants to the local authorities. (Never mind for the moment how such a law could possibly be enforced.) Suppose furthermore that I think this law is unjust, and, additionally, I … Continue reading Rawls [6], “Legal Obligation and the Duty of Fair Play,” (1964)
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short story
here is a very short story by Russian writer Daniil Kharms: There lived a redheaded man who had no eyes or ears. He didn’t have hair either, so he was called a redhead arbitrarily. He couldn’t talk because he had no mouth. He had no nose either. He didn’t even have arms or legs. He … Continue reading short story
Welcome, Juan!
Let's welcome Juan to Original Positions. Juan is a Romanian, Philosopher, Cinephile, and All-Around-Interesting-Guy. I'm looking forward to your contributions, Juan!
soccer
Suppose you have cameras, and they stop the game after a goal scored from offside.I don't think it's feasible to stop the game after every offside signaling to check if it was really offside.But if the ball goes in the net,then the camera is useful. But how about a situation where there's an offside,it's not … Continue reading soccer
Rawls and Rationality
A propos of a recent thread on whether it is irrational to reject Rawls's two principles of justice, I thought I would offer my decidedly uninformed take on the issue. From my summer Rawls reading, I'm inclined (thus far) to conclude that Rawls did not think that one must accept his two principles of justice … Continue reading Rawls and Rationality
Debt, Stimulus, and Health Care Reform
Bloggingheads considers the long-term fiscal ramifications of legislation passed under the Obama administration.
Adventureland
A while ago, Josh recommended the movie, Adventureland. I had a chance to see it while home this week and was very impressed. (Imagine setting out to make a movie about a young man losing his virginity--how many generic pitfalls there must be.) My favorite line: --"They don't like people like me where I'm from." … Continue reading Adventureland
To Alcohol!
The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. - Homer Simpson
“A Little Hero” and the Peter-and-Paul Fortress
After Dostoevsky was convicted of treason and conspiracy for, among other things, reading an ironic letter about Gogol aloud to his literary circle, he was sentenced to death, but that sentence was then commuted by the emperor into four years of labor in a Siberian prison camp, and then enlistment in the Russian army for … Continue reading “A Little Hero” and the Peter-and-Paul Fortress
Two Gentlemen of Lebowski
If you haven't seen this, you really should. It's hilarious. I don't know if the link is stable, but download the pdf so if it disappears you have a copy.
