Apr 12, 2010
I think we have a hard enough time coping with the world. We don’t have to be answerable to it too.—Richard Rorty, “Rorty v. Searle, At Last: A Debate,” Logos, 47
Apr 12, 2010
One More Argument for Realism
There is a world that works the way Richard Rorty describes: the world of fiction. Take the question “Did Greedo shoot first?” There are no facts of the matter, no external reality, that the answer to this question could actually correspond to. Instead, the question operates exactly the way Rorty says all factual questions operate: we’ve developed a complicated social system which endorses certain methods of argument and reasoning and commends the results of this process. Thus the statements of George Lucas have some weight as do close examination of textual evidence and reasoning about the appropriateness of each answer and so on. But, in some sense, it would be equally reasonable for our society to have alternative rules for determining such things.
This seems to me very different from the case of “Did Aaron Burr shoot first?” Here there is an actual reality the answer corresponds to. There is something outside our linguistic system to which the question refers and the answer can be held to account. It would not be equally reasonable to have alternative rules for determining the answer — the notion that we could agree that Sarah Vowell would decide the question is absurd.
Do Rortyites reject this difference or do they have some other way of explaining it?
Apr 12, 2010
Hey Jude
Everyone seems to insist Hey Jude is about (broken) love of some sort. And the first paragraph certainly seems to suggest this. But this really flounders on the last real verse: “You’re waiting for someone to perform with / And don’t you know that it’s just you … / The movement you need is on your shoulder.”
If you replace “her” with “it” the song suddenly starts making a lot more sense. It’s a comforting song to a boy who’s seen some great injustice, exhorting him not to become inured to it (“making the world a little colder) but to “let it under his skin … let it into his heart” so that he “can start to make it better.”
And he doesn’t need to wait for a movement — he can start by himself: “it’s just you, hey Jude, you’ll do / the movement you need is on your shoulder.”
Apr 11, 2010
VOTE NORTON: She doesn’t have to pay for her lesbian bondage sex clubs.
Apr 11, 2010
(Why didn’t I post that on my delicious? I’m trying to post things to push the birthday candle image down.)
Apr 11, 2010
Craig Ferguson destroys moral particularism on the Letterman show
I’ve never seen such an impressive educational performance on comedy TV before; bravo to Ferguson.
Apr 11, 2010
—Jeffrey L. Fisher, clerk ‘98-99One of Justice Stevens’s trademarks is the courteousness with which he treats the lawyers who appear before the Supreme Court. When he wants to elicit information or make a point during oral argument, he typically interrupts the lawyer with the gentle preface, “May I ask you a question?”
During William Rehnquist’s tenure as chief justice, a lawyer was arguing in the court for the first time. When asked a question by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the nervous lawyer started her response with, “Well, Judge — ”
Chief Justice Rehnquist interrupted her. “That’s Justice Kennedy,” he said.
Shaken, the lawyer continued. A few minutes later, she responded to Justice David Souter by saying, “Yes, Judge.” Chief Justice Rehnquist corrected her again: “That’s Justice Souter.” A couple of minutes later, she called Chief Justice Rehnquist himself a judge.
The chief justice leaned forward, his deep voice now at its sternest, to say, “Counsel is admonished that this court is composed of justices, not judges.”
Before the lawyer could say anything, Justice Stevens interjected: “It’s O.K., Counsel. The Constitution makes the same mistake.”
Apr 9, 2010
Reading resumes, I find there are two types of programmers: Microsoft/Java people and competent people. It’s amazing how consistent this is — I don’t think I’ve yet seen a Microsoft person who doesn’t claim Java experience or vice versa. It certainly makes screening resumes easier.
Mar 30, 2010
Tumblr informs me that my tumblr just turned 3. A frightening thought. This means my tumblr is more than a year older than Keith Gessen’s Internet-winning tumblr and can start complaining about all the sad young illiterate tumblrs around today.
Mar 28, 2010
My Hobby: In the margins of obscure scientific journal articles, adding “that’s what she said.” #xkcd
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A quoteblog by Aaron Swartz.
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