Author: Huenemann

A NYT article suggests that older brains are slower at some tasks, but then outperform younger brains when it comes time to remploy information in beneficial ways. In other words, as one researcher says:

“These findings are all very consistent with the context we’re building for what wisdom is,” she said. “If older people are taking in more information from a situation, and they’re then able to combine it with their comparatively greater store of general knowledge, they’re going to have a nice advantage.”

Are the cog scis going after wisdom? Hey, that’s our turf!

Anyway, good news for us older brains.

See this short talk about global news coverage.

Suggested remedy: check out the BBC now and then!

Why do you suppose we lie to children? It’s a complex matter, to be sure; for a good essay raising many of the factors, see this by Paul Graham.

I think it is partly to protect them; partly because the truth is too complicated; partly to preserve our own illusions about them and the world; and, of course, partly because we want to mask our own ignorance!

Philosophy just doesn’t make for funny songs. But this one is a good try:

Here is an interesting essay by Raymond Geuss on the philosopher Richard Rorty. It is interesting because of his more general reflections on philosophy, its history, and the choices professors make in teaching it.