Since I always have time to let you know about developments in my life, I feel compelled to mention that today is my fortieth birthday. I’m even happier, though, that today is the last day of classes (not counting finals, of course).

Here’s an interesting interview with Susan Jacoby on the subject of atheism. I don’t agree with all of her points, but it’s worth reading the whole thing. Here’s an interesting excerpt: Certainly one of the first things I thought about as a maturing child was “Why is there polio? Why are there diseases?” If there…

Today’s reading is from Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead, published in 1943. Okay, just calm down. Yes, I know, she was crazy. She took some good ideas about freedom and indviduality and took them to absurd degrees. In her novels, characters say things to each other that no human beings have ever said to one…

I’ll be disappearing into my little hidey hole for the next week or so, as I try to get past a few deadlines. One of those deadlines is coming this Friday, when I will be giving the banquet talk at the MAA Section Meeting, at Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD. Goodness! That’s a long drive.…

I had not intended for this to be such a chess heavy week, but here’s a brief, but informative, essay on the history of the design of chess pieces: Prior to 1849, there was no such thing as a “normal chess set.” At least not like we think of it today. Over the centuries that…

Just a quick post today, so have a look at this essay by Alex Beresow, over at Real Clear Science. He is advocating for chess to be a required subject in schools: In the above video, the math/chess teacher says, “Chess trains logical thinking. It teaches how to make decisions, trains memory, strengthens will power,…

It would be a serious dereliction of my bloggily duties if I did not comment on the big Candidates Tournament, recently concluded in London. My comment is this: Wowee wow wow! What a great tournament! This was the tournament meant to determine the next challenger for the current World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand of India.…

Via Massimo Pigliucci, I just read Gary Gutting’s defense of his Catholic faith. Here’s the opening: An old friend and mentor of mine, Ernan McMullin, was a philosopher of science widely respected in his discipline. He was also a Catholic priest. I don’t know how many times fellow philosophers at professional meetings drew me aside…

Looks like I’ve just added Ian McEwan’s new novel to my reading list: During one of their Brighton rendezvouses, after a round of oysters and a second bottle of champagne, Tom Haley asks Serena Frome the question every mathematician longs for her lover to utter: I want you to tell me something…something interesting, no, counterintuitive,…

Let me wrap up the week’s blogging by directing you to two essays related to things we’ve been discussing this week. The first is Mohan Matthen’s review of Thomas Nagel’s book in The Philosopher’s Magazine. I refer you to it partly because it’s an interesting essay in its own right, but also because he seizes…

Over at Lapham’s Quarterly, John Jeremiah Sullivan has an excellent article on the subject of animal consciousness. Here’s the opening: These are stimulating times for anyone interested in questions of animal consciousness. On what seems like a monthly basis, scientific teams announce the results of new experiments, adding to a preponderance of evidence that we’ve…

It has not been a good week for those who oppose same-sex marriage. The Supreme Court heard two relevant cases this week, and to judge from the questioning they seem likely to render a decision far more favorable to same sex marriage advocates. Of course, the questioning is not always a reliable guide. After all,…

I only have time for a quick post tonight, so let me direct you to one of my favorite math videos. It’s of Arthur Benjamin, a mathematician at Harvey Mudd College in California. Art is also a professional magician, and is especially well known for his skill as a lightning calculator. The video is fifteen…

Occasionally I rant about the general awfulness of mathematics textbooks. If I were to express my major objection in the most charitable possible way, it is that most textbooks are written like reference books. They are usually very good at recording the basic facts of a subject and proving them with admirable rigor. If you…

Edward Feser has replied to my earlier post about some of the responses to Thomas Nagel’s new book. Feser took exception to my remarks. Let’s have a look. EvolutionBlog’s Jason Rosenhouse tells us in a recent post that he hasn’t read philosopher Thomas Nagel’s Mind and Cosmos. And it seems obvious enough from his remarks…