Monthly Archives: April 2012

April Showers

Posted on April 29, 2012 by

Rain rain go away Me and the boy set out to play Driven back by hoods a dripping When we should have been a skipping Two straight weeks of being soaked Is now getting beyond a joke. Me and the … Continue reading →

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Chaos and Complexity

Posted on April 28, 2012 by

I typed ‘Where does complexity come from given entropy?’ into Google this morning. Why? Because my life and work are in pretty good order, so a law of physics which threatens to mess them up is most inconvenient. Given how … Continue reading →

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Narrative or Episodic

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

I like (as do many others) the notion of lives as narratives. Interesting then to read a contrary view from my old philosophy tutor Galen Strawson – Against Narrativity. He poses the question: is there really that much evidence that … Continue reading →

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Keeping the home campfires burning

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

April fools under canvas Sunlit striking Followed by lightning Humans huddle Around a smoky campfire Back to basics Hot and cold comforts Austerity Britain Keeping afloat with the Joneses Unseasonal camping confirms Keeping warm With friends and family Is all. … Continue reading →

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Death Becomes Us

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

I’m reading the ‘Death’ edition of the redoubtable Philosophy Now magazine. And a bone-rattlingly good read it is too. Death dissected through metaphor, thought experiments, cool logic and rational argument. The core issue, this issue: as medical technology advances should … Continue reading →

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Powerpoint like an Egyptian

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

Why did ancient Egyptians have two left feet? Ernst Gombrich provides a fascinating answer in ‘The Story of Art’ – to make sure you had two good feet in the afterlife. The art of the Pharoahs’ is in some senses … Continue reading →

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Art and Artists

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

I’ve started E.H. Gombrich’s ‘The Story of Art’ which was recommended by one friend and came up in conversation with another today. Gombrich says there is really no ‘Art’, only artists and what they create. A lot of what what … Continue reading →

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Montaigne on Virtue

Posted on April 10, 2012 by

Three hundred and one dailylit.com episodes of Essays in and Michel de Montaigne serves up another view I 100% agree with, five centuries on. When it comes to ethics the the answer is staring you in the face – in … Continue reading →

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To Do List

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

In the last couple of years I’ve become a big advocate of hobbies. Hobbies maketh the man. I like a good to do list too. Hats off then to Leonardo da Vinci – ultimate Renaissance man and top polymath – … Continue reading →

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