Author: Neil Van Leeuwen

I’d like to talk frankly about why research on the topic of self-deception hasn’t made…

People argue whether beauty is objective or subjective. But what would it mean for it…

Aristotle’s characterization of man as the rational animal will seem flattering, if you think about many behaviors we people engage in regularly. While many people in our society are overworked, short on knowledge, and pressed for time, many of us take time out to watch unusually tall individuals get together in groups to hurl a spherical object through a suspended ring. These tall individuals get dressed in outfits with shiny colors and are glorified for the ability to hurl the sphere through the ring. Whole buildings fill up with people who want to watch the hurling of the sphere and pay good money to do so, often sacrificing the valuable time and money they could have used for more sensible things like food and shelter.

A quote: “He who eats the bread and drinks the cup with an unbelieving heart…

Have you ever watched a foreign film without subtitles in a language you don’t speak ? You probably didn’t watch the whole thing, because—no matter how worked up the actors got—you didn’t follow it and they’re just actors anyway. Contrast that feeling of lack of interest with the intense feeling of engagement you get watching your favorite film. For me that would be American Beauty or The Godfather, Part I. Let’s call the first kind of feeling the this-is-lame feeling and the second the this-is-awesome feeling.

I’ve gotten some nice responses on my previous blog on Self-Deception and Moral Dilemmas. I argued…

One thing I do for Philosophy Talk as a member of the Crack Research Team…