Tag Archives: logic

Financial Advice which is Totally Bogus but Often Given

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Jonathan

We’ve all heard one form or other of the following bit of financial advice: “You should only invest in the stock market if you are going to leave your money in it for a long time.” It sounds sensible, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Will Wilkinson on Norwegian Prisons

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jonathan

After describing Norway’s luxurious prisons and short prison sentences, Will Wilkinson suggests that we should consider making our justice system more like Norway’s in order to bring down our murder rate: Norway has one of the world’s lowest murder rates. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“Forgiveness”: A non-sequitur?

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Jonathan

I’m reading the book Ill-gotten Gains: Evasion, Blackmail, Fraud, and Kindred Puzzles of the Law by Leo Katz, and so far the book has been an interesting exploration of the question of whether and why it may be ok for 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Mirror Image Puzzle

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Jonathan

Below is a puzzle I have come across on two different occasions, the latest one being when reading the introduction to Gary Drescher’s book “Good and Real: Demystifying Paradoxes from Physics to Ethics” (which I did not come close to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Is Martin Amis a concept artist (and will Christopher Hitchens be convinced by concept art)?

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Jonathan

Martin Amis (a famous and good writer) wrote a piece in the Guardian about Christopher Hitchens. Generally, it is interesting and fun to read. But the piece culminates in an attempt to persuade Hitchens to switch from being an atheist … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Conspiracy Theory Question

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Jonathan

UPDATE (Weds 10am): It looks like my blog post gave the White House the jolt of confidence they needed to go ahead and post the birth certificate! Revise the record of conspiracy theories to 0 and 11! (new update below) … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Puzzle about Video Game Taipan

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Jonathan

updated below – Weds 8pm Here’s a question my brother asked: There is a video game called Taipan. It can be played as a 2-player game, where the player with the most money at the end wins. You make money … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Steven Pinker definitely makes a logical error

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Jonathan

This is an interesting video, but Stephen Pinker makes a statement in it that is analogous to, and just as nonsensical as, the following: It is not raining outside. Tom does not know that it is raining outside, as he … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

David Brooks seems to make a logical error

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Jonathan

David Brooks, in his latest column, says of Obama’s decision to wage war in Libya, “President Obama took this decision, I’m told, fully aware that there was no political upside while there were enormous political risks.” Obama couldn’t have possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Puzzle about the Halting Problem

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Jonathan

(updated at end) I was reading about the halting problem recently, and in trying to understand it, I thought of a question that I can’t figure out the answer to (it is one of these cases where it feels like … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment