Glenn Gould’s Beethoven First and Second Piano Concertos

Of all the first 30 or so recordings or so - most of which I've listened to in a pretty focused way, on multiple occasions - the five Beethoven piano concerto recordings have been the ones I've returned to most often. I've tried my best to share my thoughts about the first two here. One … Continue reading Glenn Gould’s Beethoven First and Second Piano Concertos →

The Art of Philosophy

This is going to be a pile of digressions on digressions, but I hope it'll make for a good read. So, in a recent post on Newapps, Catarina Dutilh Novaes draws our attention to a painting by Roy Lichtenstein called 'Philosopher in Landscape' (I've posted a large copy, so that you can see the philosopher.) … Continue reading The Art of Philosophy →

How Weird is Quantum Mechanics?

If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet" (Niels Bohr) Last week on the way to a baseball game, Nates, David and I began arguing about science and philosophy. This argument spilled over from brunch to a cab ride (with a surprisingly well informed cab driver, who recognized that we were … Continue reading How Weird is Quantum Mechanics? →

Gould Recordings 16-26 – Bach, Beethoven, Beethoven/Liszt, Schoenberg

You could call these recordings Gould's "later early period" maybe, running from 1962-1967. I'll try to stick to one paragraph per recording. Once again, I was able to find everything on Spotify. If you follow me there you can get all the playlists I made. My favorite recording here is the Bach concerto #3; my … Continue reading Gould Recordings 16-26 – Bach, Beethoven, Beethoven/Liszt, Schoenberg →

Millennials, Multitasking and Learning

Okay, it's grumpy-old-man time. I'm taking a class right now about astrophysics, the big bang, and some outstanding problems in cosmology. It meets on Saturday mornings and is in the University of Chicago's Master of Liberal Arts program, basically a program for people with non-academia jobs, in which they can take classes taught by actual … Continue reading Millennials, Multitasking and Learning →

Gun Sales and Senate Irrationality

"How could the Senate vote down something supported by 90% of the public?" This is a question asked across Facebook this morning, urged on by President Obama's statement to similar effect. How? It's actually easy, and happens more often than we realize, on much more mundane and even less controversial measures. It's because the senate … Continue reading Gun Sales and Senate Irrationality →

Society of Fellows Big Thinkers — Championship

Though it was under the radar before this year's event, the Big Thinkers tournament actually goes way back. Some early records, admittedly of somewhat dubious provenance, refer to a medieval English contest, in which Robert Grosseteste emerged victorious in a pool of eight scholastic philosophers and theologians. Over the centuries, the tournament has gradually expanded … Continue reading Society of Fellows Big Thinkers — Championship →

Society of Fellows Big Thinkers — Semi-Finals

And then there were two. On Saturday night, our final four thinkers met to determine who would participate in the 2013 championship debate. Our first match was between top seed Plato and the gritty challenger, Durkheim. Going in, the Athenian avenger was the overwhelming favorite, well ahead in most of the online philosophy prediction markets. … Continue reading Society of Fellows Big Thinkers — Semi-Finals →

The Blame Game

A question occurred to me the other day, and I've been thinking about it off and on since then. I thought it post-able, so here goes. Why are we more prone to blame people who violate moral norms than people who violate epistemic norms? Why do people who are lazy or indifferent when it comes … Continue reading The Blame Game →

Society of Fellows Big Thinkers — Day Eight

Tonight there is no joy in Königsberg, for the mighty Kant is out. Of his opponent Plato, Kant once remarked: "It is not at all unusual that in comparing the thoughts which an author has expressed about his subject, whether in ordinary speech or in texts, we understand him better than he has understood himself." … Continue reading Society of Fellows Big Thinkers — Day Eight →