When I studied history of science, my teachers — especially Ken Manders and Paolo Palmieri — hammered two principles like drill sergeants: Always read the original manuscripts; Always pay attention…
Read moreHyper-intelligent fish and black hole thermodynamics
Bill Unruh’s recent collection on black hole analogues begins, Deep beneath the great encircling seas of the Discworld lived a species of hyper-intelligent fish. (Unruh 2007, p.1) Unusual, but inspiring:…
Read moreSpringer Publishes Crank ‘Proofs’
crank, n. A pejorative term for a person who holds a belief that a vast majority of their contemporaries consider false. A “cranky” belief is so wildly at variance with…
Read moreGet Started Teaching Philosophy
Ok, you’re teaching philosophy. You know what you want to teach. But how do you achieve your goals? The simple answer, I think, is through strategy. Practically, teaching philosophy is…
Read moreSaving Mathematics
The despicable state of K-12 mathematics in the US has been summarized in one charming, witty, furious article by Paul Lockhart. That’s Lockhart the mathematician-turned-gradeschool-teacher, not Lockhart the astronaut. He…
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