Medieval

Medieval is a term that usually but not always describes a period of European history. Historical references are sometimes made, for instance, to Medieval India. So this makes the term a bit difficult to define. The term is also difficult … Continue reading →

A Pagan Place?

Embed from Getty Images The perception of Paganism has changed over the years. Pagans remain a religious minority in most places, and we find different opinions about Paganism as a spiritual path. In advanced countries it is rare and probably … Continue reading →

Willard Quine – My unapologetic simplification

Willard Quine (1908-2000) was an influential American mathematician and philosopher who rejected Kant’s analytic-synthetic distinction¹ and advocated a form of holism. Quine argues that empiricism contains “two dogmas.” One dogma is the distinction made between intellectual constructs and facts. The … Continue reading →

Quiddity – What is?

Embed from Getty Images Quiddity (Latin: quidditas = whatness) is a medieval scholastic term referring a thing’s essence (primary substance) in contrast to its observable form (secondary substance). This kind of distinction goes back to Plato and plays an important … Continue reading →

Plato – One of the most esteemed thinkers of all time

Plato (427-347 BCE) was a Greek philosopher born into an aristocratic Athenian family. Over the centuries he has come to be regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of all time, especially within Western philosophy. Plato’s quick wit and … Continue reading →

Bertrand Russell – Temporarily lost his job for advocating peace

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a Welsh philosopher, mathematician and activist. Russell taught at Cambridge in 1895, published Principles of Mathematics (1903) and, with A. N. Whitehead, wrote Principia Mathematica (1910-13). He was let go from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1916 … Continue reading →

The Rosetta Stone – An important key to understanding the ancient world

The Rosetta Stone is a large gray stele naturally tinted blue and pink measuring almost four feet high, over two feet wide and almost a foot thick. It is a fragment of a larger, original stone, and was discovered in … Continue reading →

The Renaissance – Some were punished, others outsmarted authoritarian powers

A term that literally means “rebirth,” the Renaissance brought on a flowering of the arts, architecture, music, literature, philosophy, religion, science and scholarship. Prefigured in the 12th century, what some call the High Middle Ages, most agree that the Renaissance began … Continue reading →

Realism – What is real, anyhow?

Realism is a term with several meanings. Here are three: 1- Creative work in arts and culture, known as “representations” that appear natural and accurate. The accuracy can be poetic or blunt, and may carry a political message. Like most … Continue reading →

James Randi – Skeptic, debunker of the paranormal

James Randi (1928-) is a Toronto born American citizen known for his skepticism and enthusiastic debunking of paranormal truth claims. In the past, Randi has demanded scientific evidence of paranormal abilities using science as he defines it. This was evident in … Continue reading →