Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

So, Ezra Klein is going to make news better. He’s going to do that by assiduously avoiding the sort of problems that plague data analysis, leading to incorrect conclusions because of politics.  Great news for libertarians, right?  After all, we’re slaves to neither tradition nor feelings — libertarians, moreso than any other political orientation, are…

Despite what some of our commenters might think, no one likes excrement. (Well, except a few exceptions who prove the general rule.) So it is not surprising that most people don’t like dog excrement. I don’t like it, and as I try to abide by the Golden Rule, I pick up my dog’s poop. A…

Either scripts and active content are not permitted to run or Adobe Flash Player version10.0.0 or greater is not installed. I dunno. If I was to say anything about this I’d have to say that racial harmony in America is farther away than ever. See: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the…

For ages now, I have been complaining about a political pattern. Democrats pass unworkable socialistic plans, and then Republicans step in to make them work: That last post about health care forces me to ask a couple of philosophical questions about Republicans. It seems to be a given that Republicans devote inordinate amounts of time to…

WebMD Which did the poll has the results. 69% say it can help with certain treatments and conditions. 67% say it should be a medical option for patients. 56% support making it legal nationwide. 50% of doctors in states where it is not legal say it should be legal in their states. 52% of doctors…

I thought I was alone in noticing a very annoying habit, but it looks like I am not. Anyway, earlier in my (very crowded) gym I noticed something I have noticed repeatedly: assholes pace back and forth in the aisles of the locker room. Why? Because they are on the phone, that’s why. Normal people…

And who better to lead it than Vladimir Putin? Says Pat Buchanan in a piece entitled “Whose Side Is God On Now?” This writer was startled to read in the Jan-Feb. newsletter from the social conservative World Council of Families in Rockford, Ill., that, of the “ten best trends” in the world in 2013, number…

A militarized federal team raided and ransacked the house of a 91 year old man. His crime? Official FBI swine thought that he might have “cultural property”: FBI agents Wednesday removed “thousands” of cultural artifacts, including American Indian items, from the private collection of a 91-year-old Rush County man who had acquired them over the…

Well, Barack Obama (the president I don’t like) was here in Ann Arbor for a speech today, and I didn’t go. I went out in the front yard and watched the high-tech helicopters for a little while, but the fuss bores me. Perhaps I am getting too old. However, I have some young friends who…

I’m shocked… SHOCKED I tell you, to learn that the U.S., Russia talks have failed to ease the Ukraine crisis. PARIS—Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart appeared to make no major advances Sunday in a four-hour meeting aimed at easing the standoff over Ukraine, raising the specter of a prolonged crisis that…

The robot I’m building is coming along. Can’t wait till it does this.

For reasons I cannot fathom, the FDA has now declared war on the craft beer industry: As anyone who’s ever brewed their own beer knows, the process leaves a lot of excess … stuff. This goopy aftermath of the brewing process is known as “spent grain,” and it would generally go to waste. But many brewers…

According to a story in USA Today, some lowly airline employee is being excoriated for using the wrong terminology to describe people who can neither hear nor speak: A deaf couple from Texas demanded an apology from American Airlines after seeing a note on their luggage that read: “Please text. Deaf and dumb.” When Angela…

Eric sent me this link a while back but I have been busy and didn’t post it. It is time. The video came from Cannabis Planet. The video is excerpts from an interview with Dr. Christina Sanchez who is a molecular biologist at Compultense University in Madrid Spain. She found that THC does indeed kill…

There is a biological system hidden in the body. Why is it hidden? Because, although well known by researchers it is only taught in a minor way (if at all) in Medical Schools and not discussed at all in the popular press. What if I were to tell you that the Endocannabinoid system (or ECS):…

This was sent to me by my #2 son who is currently living in Moscow managing a grocery store. My family has been in the grocery business since the early 1900s. I worked in the family store growing up. Too funny. And he is a UChicago graduate (with honors) – jobs are hard to find.…

Two more headlines serve as reminders. SWAT Team Raids Family Home After Finding Tea Leaves In The Garbage Innocent Man Gets Dead Wife and 25 Years in Jail; Lying Prosecutor Gets 10 Days in Prison The problem is that it’s incredibly difficult to hold these people accountable. As Glenn Reynolds said, “our criminal justice system…

I finally succumbed to economic pressure and got a new phone. Er, device. I like my new device for a number of reasons, but there is one major reason I don’t like it. Size. It is too big, and too vulnerable. I cannot carry it around freely in my pocket, not only because it is…

Interesting discussion going on at Reason about vaccination – should it be mandatory? The best answer? Holgar|3.25.14 @ 10:45PM|# I wonder how the people who feel “It’s my choice whether I vaccinate or not” feel about letting food service workers choose whether or not to wash their hands.

Little Richard from back when dirty was clean. The original by Little Richard: