Failures of TV

We’ve occasionally talked on this blog (and its predecessor) about how great the last decade of TV has been. Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men: that’s a remarkable string of thoughtful, engaging, original drama. I’m sure there are a lot of reasons why it’s happening now, and I imagine luck plays a role as well. … Continue reading Failures of TV →

about movies

1.i remember that in a discussion with hitchcock,truffaut was comparing the way hitchcok shot a scene in one of his movies,and the way the same scene was shot by some american director who remade that movie.the scene was two guys talking in the street.bad guys probably.hitchcock shot it from inside a room, from above,so you could … Continue reading about movies →

Movie Review: The Box

Some movies, despite whatever virtues they possess, suffer from a fatal flaw that leads the reflective viewer to judge the movie an artistic failure. It's hard to articulate the point precisely but I expect readers of this blog have experienced what I am alluding to--that moment during a movie, or afterwards, when you think: "Well, … Continue reading Movie Review: The Box →

A Secular Version of Original Sin?

It's Columbus Day, which led to the following thought. 1) I suppose we can all agree that the European settlers committed immorality on a massive scale--the word 'genocide,' which is not used lightly, is often used to sum up the European program with respect to Native Americans. 2) Now if we agree that the European … Continue reading A Secular Version of Original Sin? →

Suicide and Moral Blame

Suppose that you hear about two cases in which a physically healthy 30-year-old man is killed. All you know about the two cases is that in Case 1, the killing was a suicide, and that in Case 2, the killing was a homicide. If you're like me, it will seem natural to think that, absent … Continue reading Suicide and Moral Blame →

Singer and Slote on Famine Relief

Check it out. http://www.philostv.com/peter-singer-and-michael-slote/

A Puzzle

Today in my Metaphysics seminar we discussed Derek Parfit's "Non-Identity Problem." It's a neat problem--here's what I hope is a faithful version of that problem. A 14-year-old girl is told by medical professionals that if she has a child before her 18th birthday, the child will have a 75% chance of being born with a … Continue reading A Puzzle →

The Crocodile

It struck me as strange that the author of Notes from Underground would next write "The Crocodile," an allegorical, theater-of-the-absurd type story to have been published in D's dying periodical Epoch. After all, Notes from Underground was an innovative exercise in narrative technique, with all sorts of interestingly problematic aspects. "The Crocodile", by contrast, is … Continue reading The Crocodile →

Christopher Hitchens

I don't know what other OPers think of Hitchen's work, if they think of it at all, but I recently picked up his memoir, Hitch-22. The prologue alone makes it clear that he's a brilliant writer, very funny, and has led a very interesting life, qualities which, if you're lucky enough to possess all … Continue reading Christopher Hitchens →

Notes from Underground

“… my apartment was my mansion, my shell, my case, in which I hid from all mankind…” (Notes from Underground, trans. Pevear and Volokhonsky, 113) That is just one of the many expostulations I felt compelled to underline while re-reading Notes from Underground. And while I know this is one of those “great works of … Continue reading Notes from Underground →