Category Archives: Philosophy
Anthony Gottlieb – Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosophy in the Age of Airplanes
Yes, but does it matter? There is an old joke: Why is it hard to move a philosophy department into a different building? Answer: because philosophers are reluctant to abandon their premises. [This is Tim’s own joke [ED]] And then … Continue reading
Posted in Biography, History, Philosophy
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Paul Davies – Quantum 2.0: The Past, Present and Future of Quantum Physics
Reality doesn’t exist … probably … “Quantum physics is, without doubt, the most disruptive technological transformation in history.” “Really?” you say, “And what has quantum physics done for us?” Electronics. Computers. GPS. Hi-definition television. Smartphones. Lasers. Transistors. Lists of what quantum … Continue reading
Jerry Brotton – Four Points of the Compass: The Unexpected History of Direction
Where are we?!? Why deep South but far North? Why do some maps orient East or South, but never West? When did direction change from being where things came from to where we were going? Is the North Pole a … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural History, History, Philosophy, Politics, Science
Tagged Books, Hiagh, Podcast, science, Tim
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Robin Choudhury – The Beating Heart: The Art and Science of Our Most Vital Organ
What lies within? Every culture places the heart at the centre of personhood. It beats independently of our volition and when it stops we are dead. But if it were no more than a muscular pump it would hardly feature … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural History, History, Philosophy, Religion, Science
Tagged Books, Heart, Hiagh, Medicine, Podcast, science, Tim
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Lawrence Krauss – The Known Unknowns: The Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos
Lawrence Krauss – Head Of Zeus – £20.00 Professor Lawrence Krauss has made major contributions to the field of theoretical physics and is one of the world’s great scientific communicators with a gift for illuminating complex ideas. His new book, … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Science
Tagged big bang, cosmos, einstein, infinity, quantam science, Schrodiger, science, time
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Prof Francesca Stavrakopoulou – God An Anatomy
Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou – Picador – £25 “Once upon a time, in the book of Genesis, humans were made in the visual image and likeness of God. It was a social, as well as a corporeal correspondence, celebrating both the … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural History, History, Philosophy, Religion, Science
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Liz Williams – Miracles of Our Own Making: A History of Paganism
Liz Williams – Reaktion Books – £15.95 In her discussion of Stonehenge, Liz Williams writes: “There is a legend that Merlin simply flew the entire circle from Ireland, which I think we can rule out.” This is typical of her … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural History, History, Humour, Philosophy, Religion, Science
Tagged Aleister, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Club, coven, Crowley, druid, druids, Harry Potter, Hellfire, Liz, Madame Blavatsky, magic, occult, Pagan, Paganism, potions, religion, sourcery, spells, The Golden Dawn, warlock, wika, Williams, Witch, witchcraft, wizad
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Graeme Garrard – How To Think Politically
Professor James Bernard Murphy and Graeme Garrard – Bloomsbury: £10.49 In an overview of the great political thinkers of the ages, comprising thirty of the most trenchant minds in history, you would imagine that there would be room for the … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural History, History, Philosophy, Politics
Tagged Engels, Garrard, Ghandi, Graeme, Hitler, Lenin, Mao, Mao Tze Tung, Marx, Plato, politically, politics, think, thinking
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Julian Baggini – How The World Thinks
When we use the word ‘philosophy’ what we usually mean is “western philosophy’. But as the philosopher and bestselling author Julian Baggini points out in his new book, western philosophy accounts for only around 20% of the world’s population. Other … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural History, Philosophy, Religion
Tagged Baggini, China, Christian, comparative, Haigh, Islam, Julian, Philosophy, Tim
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