Ex Cathedra

An interesting article in the NYTimes that’s related to early posts about narrative and science and math.

In the experiment, the college students learned a simple but unfamiliar mathematical system, essentially a set of rules. Some learned the system through purely abstract symbols, and others learned it through concrete examples like combining liquids in measuring cups [...]

Apropos nothing, I offer the following - shamelessly stolen from another blog.
Here is where I found it. Attributed to one Leslie Stephen a name that, I’m afraid, means nothing to me.
He shows us certain facts as they appear to him. If we are so constituted as to be unable to see what he sees, [...]

This half-baked post has got to get out of the oven. Eat at your own risk.
I’ve been doing a bit more thinking about thinking recently, inspired by Bob’s report of an English professor’s false beliefs about the sexism of scientific institutions.
Because what I was bludgeoning poor Bob about was the appearance that he went [...]

…or…
It’s Good to be King.
The nice thing about being a CEO is that if your company does well, you absorb the bulk of the winnings. If your company does badly, you hide it till get your bonus (or, if you leave, a huge severance package) and let the stooges still holding your stock pay [...]

Or skepticism for you but not for me.
Over at the LA Times, noted Skeptic Michael Shermer and F.I.R.E. president Greg Lukianoff are battling each other over the scourge of Left Wing Indoctrinators ruling the classrooms in modern academia.
It’s not exactly the battle I expected. After all, F.I.R.E.’s notoriety comes largely from defending the conservatives [...]

Bob’s post has coincided with my reinstallation as an occasional writer, so just to test that everything is working, I’ll offer up this quote, from one of my favorite philosophers of science:
In the enterprise of grasping the facts, [judgement] relies on whatever concept or combination of concepts looks most promising, yet it stands ready to [...]