Philosophy on LittleBiggler

When Is Now? A Secular Proof of the Existence of God

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 18:24:00 +0000

At first glance, this post has nothing to do with data science. I hope that by the time you finish, you will understand why it has everything to do with data science. The connection is the distinction between objective reality (being an object) vs. being a trace of an object.

Promises & Perils of the Bubble

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:17:42 +0000

The Sunken Place

Our tinted luxury charter bus bumped and crunched along the patchwork asphalt between LaGuardia Airport to the twee enclave of Bedford, NY. Bus passengers were a who's who of popular high school freshmen, specifically those whose parents were rich enough to send them to France, on a class field trip. We were on the home-bound leg of an international voyage that included Paris, Versailles, Normandy, and Provence. I should remember this trip well, but I barely remember it at all. I will never forget, though, when the entire bus started chanting in unison, about me: "Lilian is COOL! Lilian is COOL! Lilian is COOL! Lilian is COOL!" They wouldn't stop chanting. Couldn't stop. Undeniable unanimous and resounding approval from the popular kids! My membership into their exclusive club, univocally ratified. I blushed and sank into my cushioned seat. Don't they know I am an imposter?

For Rent: Big Juicy Brain

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 18:04:28 +0000

Brian Esperon - YouTube

UChicago Professor, Martha Nussbaum, wrote an excellent article in The Journal of Legal Studies, which explores (and refutes) six arguments against the legalization of prostitution. The article title, "'Whether from Reason or Prejudice’: Taking Money for Bodily Services," is a reference to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. Smith writes about stage performers, like singers and dancers, whose work is considered respectable, only if unpaid. If they are paid, their work is considered, “whether from reason or prejudice, as a sort of publick prostitution.”

Who Owes What to Whom?

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:46:14 +0000

We have turned a corner in the public discourse, and in how discourse translates to institutional behavior, and it is not progress. While "progressive" social, economic, and onto-theological ideas have failed at every ballot box except the chief executive, these ideas have won in business. The New Right is right on this one. They're wrong in so many places, but they are right on this one. Ross Douthat, Sohrab Amari, Michael Brendan Dougherty. They are onto something here.

Killing Me Softly

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 13:34:16 +0000

Why is it OK to make choices, which are inherently violent, as long as you perpetrate your violence "politely"? What's more, the polite and even pleading response to the violence, somehow, is rude? As a "neurodivergent," I have never understood this duplicity. Killing me softly is still killing me. Perhaps I am being guileless, and failing to read between the lines? I have had people say to me, "Well, of course the people who have money and power execute at an arm's length and with decorum, and victims are always blamed." As if this is a given. But I am not a victim, so why does the script get flipped on me, when I speak up?

For Your Own Good

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 18:09:50 +0000

There is a cure for yeast infections, but you don't know what it is. Almost nobody knows what the real cure is. It's not available at CVS. Your gynecologist will not prescribe it to you, or tell you about it. You may ask, how do *I* know what the cure is, then, if it's such a big secret? Well, I learned it from a super old Wall Street Journal article, of all places. The article is probably archived now. If you are industrious and you have a paid WSJ subscription, I assume you can find it. For me, anyway, it no longer shows up on Google results.

Test

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 14:38:51 +0000

Test

This is the philosophy blog

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 13:47:46 +0000

This is where you can read my demented thoughts, if you are literate enough.

Hiring: Deeded Courtiers

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 15:04:35 +0000

In the days in which monarchies were the state apparatus, before merchants became richer than kings, there were the royals, the peasants, and in-between the two classes, the courtiers. Courtiers were often deeded, in legal documents emitted by the king. They had documented privileges and rights to property, and they could expect that their loyal service to the king and queen would be repaid in promises of security and dignity for their own children. Kings and Queens, in turn, kept these promises not out of duty or beneficence, but because being physically surrounded by well-connected people who hate you is a substantial coup risk.

Gender Negativity

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 00:30:04 +0000

I wanted to add an update to this post, to hopefully soften the tone a bit. If you know me, you know that I am an overflowing cup of passion. Personally, I cannot think of many things more evil than a medical system in which countless middle class kids (and adults) don't have health insurance, while others kids are steered into medical procedure pipelines that end in sterilization and permanent disfigurement. I don't know how to talk about this subject dispassionately.

Big Data Public School Rankings

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:23:03 +0000

Who cares about "Good Schools"?

Do me a favor: Pull up a real estate listing online... Maybe it's the dream house you have saved on Zillow, or a starter apartment near your job. Maybe you were not previously aware that every single real estate listing displays public school rankings. Go ahead, find the school rating on that property listing. It is there, and if you are a parent, it's often the first thing you scroll down for.