| A Philosopher's Blog

While the exact figures vary from study to study and estimate to estimate, about 30% of adult Americans are only overweight and about 43% are obese. Obesity is also a problem worldwide, but obviously not in places where there are food shortages. There is the question of why the United States faces this problem while also facing a crisis of nutrition.

One causal fac...

In his famous quote about standing on the shoulders of giants, Sir Isaac Newton credited at least some of his success to others. While most of us will not see as far as Newton, we also stand upon shoulders. We are born into human civilization and have access to centuries of human accomplishments such as language, technology and society itself. As such, the success of any ...

In the previous essay, I addressed the matter of the state’s contribution to an individual’s success (and failure). Naturally, no discussion of success would be complete without a discussion of genetics.

While the role of genetics in human behavior is complicated, it seems reasonable to accept that genetics play at least some role in success (and failure). Interest...

In the previous essay I discussed the question “to what extent do people owe their success (and failures) to others?” In this essay I will focus on how much of a person’s success (or failure) is owed to the state. Obviously, the exact debt will vary, and this examination will be, of necessity, somewhat abstract.

One way to begin the discussion is to use th...

As an undergraduate I participated in a faculty-student debate about artificial intelligence. While the details of the debate have faded from my non-artificial mind, I vividly recall one exchange. The professor on the opposing side claimed I believed in free will because I wanted to take credit for my successes. Filled with the pride of youth, I replied with something to ...