Here it is, your weekly rundown of interesting articles I’ve come across recently, to consider for your weekend readings:
What humans could be. As psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote, “Perhaps human nature has been sold short.” (Scientific American)
SpaceX and the ethics of space travel. (Prindle Post)
Who cheats more? The demographics of infidelity in America. (Institute for Family Studies)
Rich people more likely to lie, cheat, study suggests. (Live Science)
How science fails. For the émigré philosopher Imre Lakatos, science degenerates unless it is theoretically and experimentally progressive. [From my friend Jim Baggott, highly recommended.] (Aeon)
Should you take Wolfram’s physics seriously? [Probably not, but it’s fun to think about it.] (Medium)
Stop reading self-help books: the incredible power of novels. [Don’t let the entirely out of place encomium of Elon Musk at the beginning of the article turn you off.] (JotForm)
Philosophy as a Way of Life
SpaceX story misses the capitalist-classist ethics issue, which has several subparts.
JIm Baggott kind of agrees with Kuhn’s former student, Errol Morris, on Kuhnianism, eh?
Other than reading, or re-reading, the occasional classic of fictional literature, I find plenty to read about the foibles of human nature in non-fiction!
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I don’t think Jim agrees with Morris. Not about the personal aspects of the story, anyway. And yes, SpaceX carries those additional implications you mention.
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Oh, see this new nuttery by Haidt and Pinker defending Stephens’ Jewish genius column? I have a Twitter thread calling them out. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/05/14/bret-stephens-new-york-times-outrage-backlash-256494
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I hadn’t seen it. Interesting.
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