Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Philosophy's NOT Dead


In a short but enlightening article, Katelyn Hallman assesses the famous declaration made by Stephen Hawking that “philosophy is dead.”

Read her article here: Philosophy's Not Dead.




Wednesday, August 12, 2015

"Why don’t people believe in science?"


The Why? Radio show presents the following talk:

 "Why don’t people believe in science?"

Guest: Dan M. Kahan
 

Listen from anywhere in the world at http://www.whyradioshow.org/


Every day, people reject evolution and climate change, arguing instead for their personal beliefs over evidence. Despite years of education and more access to information than any time in history, people are rejecting vaccinations and forsaking personal savings for the lottery. On the next episode of Why? Radio we are going to look at the science of science communication and the patterns behind why people reject science. 

Dan Kahan is the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School. In addition to risk perception, his areas of research include criminal law and evidence. Prior to coming to Yale in 1999, Professor Kahan was on the faculty of the University of Chicago Law School. He also served as a law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court (1990-91) and to Judge Harry Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1989-90). He received his B.A. from Middlebury College and his J.D. from Harvard University.

Dan is a lead researcher for The Cultural Cognition Project, a group of scholars interested in studying how cultural values shape public risk perceptions and related policy beliefs. Visit that webpage here: http://www.culturalcognition.net/

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

That 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest Ticket

This story appears in the August 17, 2015 issue of Forbes. 

Throughout the major U.S. tech hubs, whether Silicon Valley or Seattle, Boston or Austin, Tex., software companies are discovering that liberal arts thinking makes them stronger.



“Studying philosophy taught me two things,” says Butterfield, sitting in his office in San Francisco’s South of Market district, a neighborhood almost entirely dedicated to the cult of coding. “I learned how to write really clearly. I learned how to follow an argument all the way down, which is invaluable in running meetings. And when I studied the history of science, I learned about the ways that everyone believes something is true–like the old notion of some kind of ether in the air propagating gravitational forces–until they realized that it wasn’t true.”

For the full story, CLICK HERE!