The Infinite Regress Step of Cosmological Arguments

Arguments for the existence of God purporting to show that there must have been a creator ex nihilo, first mover, or ultimate sustainer of physical reality all share a step that the particular sort of infinite regress that there would otherwise be is a metaphysical impossibility. I will here defend one particular kind of "no infinite regress" premise, although I don't think it goes very far in buttressing even the species of cosmological argument that can claim this true premise.

Team Spirit in US Politics

There is reason to doubt that the swing voters of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin will find their hopes for the Trump Administration much met. There will not likely be a big upswing in good jobs; coal will not come roaring back; Mexico will not pay for any walls;  the number of people of dusky complexion will not noticeably decrease. There likely will be loss of health care coverage and the quality of that coverage and inroads against Medicare and Social Security. In short those lower middle income voters who voted for Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2016 because they were disappointed with their economic prospects may very well not find very much to celebrate in the coming years. Many, however, may well remain loyal for reasons that follow.

God, The Source of Morality, and the Source of Logic

Many theists argue that God is the source of morality and its essential and defining source. As a matter of intellectual consistency should these same theists hold that God is in the same way the source of logic?

“It's a Wonderful Life” -- the Metaphysics

Memory of Christmas movies being about to fade away for another year, it is high time to explore the metaphysics of counterfactuals – as Frank Capra no doubt did when screening for his own family every Christmas George Bailey's odyssey in Bedford Falls and Pottersville.

What Happened to the 20 Hour Work Week and the 8 Vacation Weeks?

A half century or so ago futurists and the popular press predicted that the proportion of work in our lives would be decreasing. Machines would do more and more, producing more and more, and so people could do less and less.

Machines are doing more and more, producing more and more. Why aren't people working less and less? What did the futurists get wrong?

Can Putin Blackmail Trump?

Can Putin Blackmail Trump?

By the inaugural week we have reason to be concerned that Putin may have some serious material with which to blackmail Trump. Even Trump's initial denial that Russia interfered in the election, however, already gave Putin some leverage. Trump's post-briefing concession that the Russians did it, lessens the damage Putin could do by publicly elaborating just how much the Russians did. Even if not one word of the Steele report turns out to be accurate, Trump's use of the Russian-hacked emails on the stump, his reluctance to admit Russian involvement, and his less than honest attempts to minimize election effects have left him vulnerable to Putin's future extortions.

Electoral College Democracy

Some failing arguments in defense of the Electoral College, and a look at two possible steps forward without constitutional amendment. Possible, but not likely.