Knotty problems call for sound advice. Use philosophy to find the intellectually dependable amid the frauds and egotists Need to know We need others’ help to figure out what and how to think. Many issues are just too complex for us to tackle on our own. They’re often the subject of bewildering and vociferous debate, […]
The Tragedy of the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’
The man who wrote one of environmentalism’s most-cited essays was a racist, eugenicist, nativist and Islamaphobe—plus his argument was wrong. Fifty years ago, University of California professor Garrett Hardin penned an influential essay in the journal Science. Hardin saw all humans as selfish herders: we worry that our neighbors’ cattle will graze the best grass. So, we send […]
Cory Doctorow: Fake News Is an Oracle
What is it that makes some people vulnerable to anti-vax messages? I think it’s the trauma of living in a world where there is ample evidence that our truth-seeking exercises can’t be trusted. That’s a genuinely scary idea, because if the truth is open to the highest bidder, then we are facing a future of […]
Canada among Global Conflict Broker’s Toughest Gigs
Adam Kahane helped bring peace to Colombia, but says ending our climate stalemate may be harder. “That’s because in Colombia, in South Africa, in Thailand, in Sudan, everybody agreed that [their situation] wasn’t working and if they kept going the way they were going they were in real danger. The thing that makes [resolving] issues, […]
Confusion and ambiguity
A mix of stimuli always surrounds people. The stimuli have no meaning apart from what the individuals make of it. In other words, the environment is a product of the persons, not something outside of them. If people want to create shared meaning, they need to talk about their experience in close proximity to its […]
