Blog
Archive for January, 2010
Stephen Toulmin Dies – Philosopher who was a founding father of argumentation theory
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Though Stephen Toulmin, who has died aged 87, was initially famous as one of the leading proponents of the “good reasons” approach in ethics, and went on to write about reasoning, science, philosophy of science and the history of ideas, he was ultimately better known in the US field of communication, and in computer science, than in philosophy. The Uses of Argument (1958), which inadvertently made him a founding father of argumentation theory, criticises the way that philosophers treat reasoning as a chain of time-free written propositions rather than as a practical technique used by real people in particular situations. Read more…
Welcome to Culture Insight presented by Simply Charly
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
These are conversations with authors and experts who have given us insights into those individuals who have influenced our culture and enriched our lives. Listen here…
The future of the library
Saturday, January 9th, 2010
What should libraries do to become relevant in the digital age?
They can’t survive as community-funded repositories for books that individuals don’t want to own (or for reference books we can’t afford to own.) More librarians are telling me (unhappily) that the number one thing they deliver to their patrons is free DVD rentals. That’s not a long-term strategy, nor is it particularly an uplifting use of our tax dollars. Read more…
How to Train the Aging Brain – The New York Times
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
I LOVE reading history, and the shelves in my living room are lined with fat, fact-filled books. There’s “The Hemingses of Monticello,” about the family of Thomas Jefferson’s slave mistress; there’s “House of Cards,” about the fall of Bear Stearns; there’s “Titan,” about John D. Rockefeller Sr.
The problem is, as much as I’ve enjoyed these books, I don’t really remember reading any of them. Certainly I know the main points. But didn’t I, after underlining all those interesting parts, retain anything else? It’s maddening and, sorry to say, not all that unusual for a brain at middle age: I don’t just forget whole books, but movies I just saw, breakfasts I just ate, and the names, oh, the names are awful. Who are you? Read more…
Insight by a Thousand Strokes
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Caricature works wonders at skewering puffed-up demigods, moguls and celebrities by ripping off their false facades. For artists it is both a vent for frustration and a tool of dissent, but being good at it is never easy. Just getting a good likeness is hard enough; making it into a truly smart distortion takes a master manipulator. Read more…
Stephen Toulmin Dies – Philosopher who was a founding father of argumentation theory
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010Though Stephen Toulmin, who has died aged 87, was initially famous as one of the leading proponents of the “good reasons” approach in ethics, and went on to write about reasoning, science, philosophy of science and the history of ideas, he was ultimately better known in the US field of communication, and in computer science, than in philosophy. The Uses of Argument (1958), which inadvertently made him a founding father of argumentation theory, criticises the way that philosophers treat reasoning as a chain of time-free written propositions rather than as a practical technique used by real people in particular situations. Read more…
Welcome to Culture Insight presented by Simply Charly
Sunday, January 10th, 2010These are conversations with authors and experts who have given us insights into those individuals who have influenced our culture and enriched our lives. Listen here…
The future of the library
Saturday, January 9th, 2010What should libraries do to become relevant in the digital age?
They can’t survive as community-funded repositories for books that individuals don’t want to own (or for reference books we can’t afford to own.) More librarians are telling me (unhappily) that the number one thing they deliver to their patrons is free DVD rentals. That’s not a long-term strategy, nor is it particularly an uplifting use of our tax dollars. Read more…
How to Train the Aging Brain – The New York Times
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010I LOVE reading history, and the shelves in my living room are lined with fat, fact-filled books. There’s “The Hemingses of Monticello,” about the family of Thomas Jefferson’s slave mistress; there’s “House of Cards,” about the fall of Bear Stearns; there’s “Titan,” about John D. Rockefeller Sr.
The problem is, as much as I’ve enjoyed these books, I don’t really remember reading any of them. Certainly I know the main points. But didn’t I, after underlining all those interesting parts, retain anything else? It’s maddening and, sorry to say, not all that unusual for a brain at middle age: I don’t just forget whole books, but movies I just saw, breakfasts I just ate, and the names, oh, the names are awful. Who are you? Read more…
Insight by a Thousand Strokes
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010Caricature works wonders at skewering puffed-up demigods, moguls and celebrities by ripping off their false facades. For artists it is both a vent for frustration and a tool of dissent, but being good at it is never easy. Just getting a good likeness is hard enough; making it into a truly smart distortion takes a master manipulator. Read more…
