Category Archives: Essays

Was the World Made for Man?

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

While listening to back episodes of the Scientific American podcast, I came across an episode which read Mark Twain’s essay “Was the World Made for Man?” The essay is brilliantly sarcastic, though upon trying to find out more about it, … Continue reading →

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Consumer Reports: They Just Don't Make 'em Like They Used To

Posted on August 6, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

I am a big fan of Consumer Reports magazine. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a consumer information and advocacy magazine. In each issue, it selects groups of products (e.g. computers, televisions, lawn mowers, refrigerators), and makes recommendations … Continue reading →

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Skepticism vs. Cynicism

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

Admittedly, there’s a fine line between skepticism and cynicism — one that’s easy to cross if you don’t watch where you step. Skeptics are accused of making the world a dull place by taking all of the magic and wonder … Continue reading →

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World-views: On Science and Religion

Posted on June 24, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

Science and religion have an unstable relationship. Oftentimes they are content to stay separate and do their own things. Occasionally, they clash over certain issues of public policy. However, are these two world-views actually compatible, and if not, which one … Continue reading →

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Ch-ch-ch-choices.

Posted on June 13, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is sold as an alternative to conventional (i.e. science/evidence based) medicine. The rallying cry of CAM supporters is usually that of choice. They feel that the supporters of conventional medicine have backed them into a … Continue reading →

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Hume's Missing Shade of Blue: Found

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

Let’s talk about Orgone. A form of energy allegedly discovered by Wilhelm Reich, it has spawned an entire system of belief and generation of quackery. Due to the complex nature of this post, I’m going to break it down into … Continue reading →

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To Hume Am I Speaking?

Posted on March 20, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

On The Nature of Causation and Identity Hume, in his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, tells us that our ideas originate in things that we observe or experience. All ideas can be simplified to the point where they can no longer … Continue reading →

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It’s Only Logical

Posted on March 19, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

Here are some biographies of logicians that I wrote for my philosophy course. They are mostly paraphrased from Wikipedia: Gottlob Frege Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege was a German mathematician, logician and philosopher who lived during the late 19th and early … Continue reading →

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Can Technology Be Immoral?

Posted on February 26, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

A recent entry in this blog discussed a poll in which Americans were asked whether or not they believed nanotechnology is immoral. According to the poll, it turns out that a minority of Americans believe that research in the field … Continue reading →

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Intelligent Design: An Intelligent Alternative?

Posted on February 10, 2008 by Mitchell Gerskup

One of the arguments heard repeatedly coming from the intelligent design camp, is that evolution is not to be trusted, because it leaves certain questions unanswered. These arguments are rarely elaborated upon by the intelligent design community (probably because most … Continue reading →

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