Among the many tools of the mind at the philosopher’s disposal, the test of self-reference is one of the most fundamental, subtle, and direct. I have utilized it myself in past arguments (here). In summary, the test is one of retorsion: you turn back the meaning of what a speaker says or claims upon the … Continue reading Hans Jonas and the test of self-reference
In his Cursus Philosophicus, John of St. Thomas considers the final six predicaments or categories in the second part of his Logic, and in q. 19, a. 3, he turns to ubi or “where,” the category that seems to add some being to locus or “place” as a type of quantity. The nub of the … Continue reading Two medieval thought experiments in a vacuum
Jaki's Chesterton, A Seer of Science, is an enjoyable tour through the Englishman's common sense understanding of the deliverances of science—it could almost be called a statement outlining his philosophy of science if that term did not conjure up such stodgy material by comparison to the vigorous wit Jaki's lectures abstract from a variety of Chesterton's … Continue reading Chesterton’s anthropic principle
John G. Brungardt 