tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-228740632012-01-31T09:35:10.970-05:00thoughts, hunches, images, notions, and kwestionsjonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-4838027551701937462008-01-07T17:13:00.000-05:002008-01-07T17:18:08.868-05:00

We got to catch three Flames games where they went 2-0-1.Thomas opening his presents.Karis in her new snowsuit.The family picture.

jonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-91151108145546821692007-12-18T08:31:00.000-05:002007-12-18T08:32:15.823-05:00

See it here.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-29093989934110959992007-12-17T15:59:00.000-05:002007-12-17T16:05:11.002-05:00

The semester is finally over (minus some grading), and my final comprehensive exam has been passed, so I can get back to putting some things on here. Here are some recent pics:

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-79623029132953291902007-12-05T19:32:00.001-05:002007-12-05T19:32:45.582-05:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-47484348833108010902007-11-10T11:58:00.000-05:002007-11-10T12:02:22.422-05:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-45950989427169020792007-10-24T18:07:00.000-04:002007-10-24T18:10:02.808-04:00

Despite a somewhat rainy morning, the run/walk was a great success. We had over 225 registered participants and raised over $15,000! I finished in just under 27 minutes which wasn't too bad after not having run for the last several months. Lesley ended up raising the most funds and won a 'Bread for a Year' certificate from Panera Bread.Thanks to everyone who helped contribute. You can see

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-32675548178760740012007-09-26T19:02:00.001-04:002007-09-26T19:04:30.923-04:00

I'm off back home to present my paper, "Maximally Fragile Events and the Causal Relation" at the University of Calgary Graduate Student Philosophy Conference. I wish that I was talking about epistemology, but hopefully I will survive the metaphysicians.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-76046990343788054432007-09-15T14:10:00.000-04:002007-09-15T14:14:42.339-04:00

This last Thursday I passed my primary comprehensive exam in epistemology. It was three hours of writing fun which I followed up with three hours of teaching Logic. All in all, not a very nice day. The primary exam is one of the few non-course-related requirements of getting to the dissertation phase. Next up is my secondary comprehensive exam at the end of this semester. That exam will an

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-25160983973399880612007-09-03T11:57:00.000-04:002007-09-03T12:06:00.535-04:00

We utilized some of our last summer hours by heading to 'The Grand Canyon of the East' -- Letchworth State Park. It's a great place with tonnes of nice trails, and the scenes can be jaw-dropping (see Karis).

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-10799763022534374532007-08-31T17:17:00.000-04:002007-08-31T17:20:49.918-04:00

Our website is now up: http://www.aid2aids.org/. There you can register for the race and/or donate to the cause. Please partner with us in this very worthwhile cause.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-54104104914208520872007-08-29T16:21:00.000-04:002007-08-29T16:23:33.371-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-70702299388827364532007-08-29T13:17:00.000-04:002007-08-29T13:30:15.929-04:00

Here is a rather biting little bit from John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life:"I will tell you what a real tragedy is. I will show you how to waste your life. Consider this story from the February 1998 Reader's Digest: A couple 'took early retirement from their jobs int he Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, wher they cruise on their 30-

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-18953697891864696682007-08-27T17:28:00.000-04:002007-08-27T17:29:17.263-04:00

I wish summer wasn't over.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-81872034985001436262007-08-27T17:15:00.001-04:002007-08-27T17:15:33.694-04:00

This clip is not meant to imply anything about Gamecockers, and I am writing this of my own free will (click, click)

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-90477244849865209742007-08-25T08:56:00.000-04:002007-08-25T08:59:38.052-04:00

This is a cite that I was directed to. It surveys your views on key issues, including how important they are to you, and gives points to candidates that agree with you. The outcome ranks candidates by their compatibility with your survey. The survey is quick and easy, and the results can be surprising.The survey is based on http://www.2decide.com/table.htm which is also worth some time.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-77129338056896172122007-08-22T16:55:00.001-04:002007-08-22T17:08:46.252-04:00

Yesterday I got to take in the glory of the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fischer College. All of the 'stars' where there: Rian Lindell, Brian Moorman, J.P. Lossman, Marshawn Lynch, and Paul Posluzny (all pictured below). Notice how Moorman is seemingly kicking a teamate right in the head. Price of admission ended up being $1 for the shuttle (the same price as the Bully Hill wine

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-49226135328580675622007-08-20T16:33:00.001-04:002007-08-20T16:40:09.082-04:00

We just got back from our Second Annual Taylor Reunion Camping Trip. This year featured Keuka Lake State Park and a trip to Bully Hill Vineyards for a wine tasting. Other than some rain the first evening it was perfect weather. Karis and Thomas did well, though they were exhausted by the end of the weekend (Karis slept 13 hours last night and then had a 3 hour nap today).

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-75418104403788955092007-08-13T18:24:00.000-04:002007-08-13T18:28:28.174-04:00

Two new things:1. Thomas has started to smile2. Our new jogging stroller to run the kids around.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-78587639136763615662007-08-13T18:15:00.000-04:002007-08-13T18:24:27.710-04:00

We have returned from South Carolina after enduring a week where the heat index was constantly above 115 and there were 2 shark attacks within 2 blocks of the beach house. As you can see, the plane trip was not nearly as bad as we thought, and Karis enjoyed the ocean view . . . though not the ocean itself.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-3847489130440523102007-08-01T14:30:00.000-04:002007-08-01T15:05:38.976-04:00

I am part of a group that has been trying to figure out how our church can get involved in the AIDS crisis, particularly regarding Africa.Here are some startling statistics regarding Africa:* Africa has 10% of the world’s population but bears 64% of the burden of AIDS* 9 out of 10 children infected with AIDS live in Africa* Over 24.5 million people are infected in sub-Saharan Africa *

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-4916960849035119012007-08-01T14:07:00.000-04:002007-08-01T14:25:24.406-04:00

So I was visited last week by the Jehovah's Witnesses and turned the questions around on them for a change. In particular I was defending the claim that Jesus is God. After a lengthy discussion of the first chapter of John, 'proof' that Jesus was created was brought to my attention.Collosians 1:15 states of Jesus, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."So,

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-17757614722290175372007-07-27T20:59:00.000-04:002007-07-27T21:01:42.911-04:00

1. I got one of my papers (on the relata of the causal relation) accepted to present at the University of Calgary Philosophy Graduate Conference in the fall.2. I ran 5 miles, in a row, without passing out, and without anyone chasing me. 44:14 for the record.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-34609752135569562162007-07-27T20:58:00.000-04:002007-07-27T20:59:34.949-04:00

Central to views regarding a priori knowledge is how such beliefs gain their epistemic justification independent of experience. Central to Alvin Plantinga’s account of what it takes for one to have a priori justification is for one to see the truth of the proposition in question. According to Plantinga, to see that a proposition is true is to believe that it is true, and necessarily true, to

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-65196699175324811752007-07-26T16:05:00.001-04:002007-07-26T16:05:30.557-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-35474027281011301712007-07-26T16:01:00.001-04:002007-07-27T20:58:35.325-04:00

As you can see from the picture a couple of posts ago, Thomas is only a few years away from attending his first hockey fight camp. (thanks to Trent for the story)After all, this guy seems to be the guy to learn from. It's only fitting that a prarie boy would throw so many haymakers! (see post above)

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1148901778495729702007-07-25T13:23:00.000-04:002007-07-25T13:27:18.893-04:00

You can see it here. I can't figure out how to download the picture though, so if you can help me there, let me know.UPDATE: ok, I just went to the link and that is totally not the picture it showed me before! This site has totally frustrated me after offerring me so much.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-66371938956807120412007-07-22T14:42:00.000-04:002007-07-22T15:01:21.659-04:00

Thomas, 'Tank', teaches Adeline a little lesson in respect! And that's just his left hand. Notice his 'matter-of-fact' buisiness face and his seeming lack of remorse.

jonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-52057315795672432822007-07-20T14:37:00.001-04:002007-07-20T14:39:47.003-04:00

I've spent the last few minutes in a Homer Simpsonesque ('lights go on, lights go off') way going, "it's a duck, it's a rabbit, it's a duck, . . .".

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-4323254316968178092007-07-20T14:19:00.000-04:002007-07-20T14:20:19.184-04:00

Virtue epistemology utilizes virtues in addressing the prominent problems in epistemology. A distinction is made between moral virtues and epistemic or cognitive virtues. Within the virtue epistemology camp, there is a divide between reliabilist and responsibilist understandings of epistemic virtues. I will focus here on a reliabilist account. Roughly put, an epistemic virtue is stable

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-22919151572979029392007-07-19T15:45:00.000-04:002007-07-19T15:47:54.358-04:00

Check out this video if you want confirmation that working out can be hazardous to your health.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-59406201422442205852007-07-19T09:48:00.000-04:002007-07-19T09:55:08.845-04:00

Apparently I live nearby to the Jell-O museum (yes, Bill Cosby has visited). Anyone want to visit me now?Try to get this:March 17, 1993, technicians at St. Jerome hospital in Batavia test a bowl of lime Jell-O with an EEG machine and confirm the earlier testing by Dr. Adrian Upton that a bowl of wiggly Jell-O has brain waves identical to those of adult men and women.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-9034477320283163622007-07-17T10:15:00.000-04:002007-07-17T10:18:01.918-04:00

The Monkey Man slept through the night last night! And he gave me a big smile in the morning!Good day.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1507500366868091482007-07-16T13:45:00.000-04:002007-07-16T14:05:46.737-04:00

So, I have heard a fair number of people make a distinction between gambling and investing (ie. gambling is wrong, investing is at least permissible). I find it hard to find a clear distinction between the two. Here are a couple distinctions you might try to make, and what I think is wrong with them.1. Gambling is an attempt to 'get rich quick'.Well, this might be so for most gamblers, but

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-59257603838075606462007-07-16T12:43:00.000-04:002007-07-16T12:58:52.660-04:00

AFC EAST . . . . . . NFC EAST1. Patriots 13-3 . . . . 1. Cowboys 10-62. Jets 9-7 . . . . . . 2. Eagles 8-83. Dolphins 8-8 . . . . 3. Giants 7-94. Bills 5-13 . . . . . 4. Redskins 5-11AFC WEST . . . . . . NFC WEST1. Chargers 12-4 . . . 1. Rams 11-52. Broncos 9-7 . . . . 2. Cardinals 9-73. Chiefs 6-10 . .

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-78229574823270444452007-07-16T12:42:00.001-04:002007-07-16T12:42:55.414-04:00

Timothy Williamson claims that something is evidence for a hypothesis when it speaks in favor of it (raises the probability of it) and it has some credible standing. The credible standing that Williamson finds necessary for evidence is knowledge. The claim is that one’s total possible evidence is comprised of what one knows and only what one knows constitutes one’s evidence at a time. In other

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-38790695044021998652007-07-06T22:18:00.000-04:002007-07-06T22:20:35.204-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-82393997869069858552007-07-05T14:49:00.001-04:002007-07-05T14:49:47.270-04:00

The internalism/externalism debate in epistemology regarding justification centers on the question of what states, properties, and events can contribute the kind of justification necessary for knowledge. Internalism has been understood in a variety of ways, but roughly it is the claim that all the factors that justify beliefs are internal to the cognizer. Internalism is best construed as

jonnoreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-77677464327266396532007-07-02T14:07:00.000-04:002007-07-02T14:21:37.847-04:00

I am currently reading through Luke, and found these verses to be of interest to several philosophical issues I am interested in.v. 13, 14: "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and aches. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-19296391310043401822007-07-01T15:23:00.001-04:002007-07-01T15:24:16.310-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-67260222439879860342007-06-30T16:43:00.000-04:002007-06-30T16:44:11.430-04:00

Externalism about mental content is the thesis that what one’s mental content (at least where atomic natural kind concepts are invoked) is individuated in part on the nature of that individual’s physical and social environment (what is out there and how words are used) – things external to the cognizer. In other words, we could fix everything internal to the cognizer, yet by changing things in

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-47551329957290094072007-06-21T15:09:00.001-04:002007-06-21T15:09:58.506-04:00

Process reliabilism (hereafter reliabilism) is a theory of epistemic justification that claims that a belief’s justificatory status is determined by the reliability of the process that formed the belief. Here, a process is a functional operation that maps inputs to outputs (ie. input: experiential state; output: belief), and the processes we are concerned with are cognitive processes. A process

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-4993303737569216532007-06-18T13:36:00.000-04:002007-06-18T13:37:00.202-04:00

Foundationalism is a theory of epistemic knowledge and justification that provides an answer to the infinite regress problem of justification. According to foundationalism, all beliefs that are epistemically justified are either basic, or trace back in a suitable way to a basic belief. Basic beliefs are beliefs that are epistemically justified independent of any justificatory relations to other

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-83148234915562560952007-06-16T14:28:00.000-04:002007-06-16T14:33:12.389-04:00

Here are two challenging words I've come across recently:1. From John Piper: Ever wonder why 1 Peter 3:15 (Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have) has lost its applicability? When is the last time someone asked you the reason for your hope within? The reason no one is asking is that it looks like we are hoping in the same

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-55148635420787897462007-06-12T16:35:00.000-04:002007-06-12T16:49:58.004-04:00

I notice a lot of people saying that they do not want their kids to be sarcastic, and they give advice as to what to do to prevent your kids from becoming sarcastic. What's the big deal about being sarcastic? And no, that was not sarcastic. Sarcasm is a linguistic device and it is hard to see what separates it from others that accounts for why it is to be avoided. Let's compare as we dare

jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-84710849676972596682007-06-07T15:08:00.000-04:002007-06-07T18:31:53.331-04:00

Closure is the epistemic principle that for any propositions p and q, if someone knows that p, and that p entails q, then that individual is in an epistemic position to know q – that individual has sufficient evidence to know q. In other words, were that individual to believe q on the basis of her knowledge that p and that p entails q, she would thereby know q. The basic idea is that we can add

jonnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-61345879488969390592007-06-04T11:24:00.001-04:002007-06-04T11:34:27.906-04:00

The skeptic claims that we know much less than we think that we do. Take the following argument for skepticism:(1) I do not know that I am radically deceived by an evil demon.(2) If I do not know that I am radically deceived by an evil demon, then I do not know that I have hands.(3) Therefore, I do not know that I have hands.This type of argument can be run for nearly every contingent proposition

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-36358329406330258372007-06-04T11:21:00.000-04:002007-06-04T11:24:07.193-04:00

Epistemology is the sub-field of philosophy which is my primary area of concentration. Epistemology is the study of knowledge and justified belief. It looks into the fundamental questions regarding these issues. In what follows I will be posting weekly summaries on some contemporary issues in epistemology in part to prepare for my comprehensive exam.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-74211572075366369062007-06-04T11:20:00.000-04:002007-06-04T11:21:40.991-04:00

I am now on Facebook, and Rate-My-Professor.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-90419389835662371412007-05-23T09:22:00.000-04:002007-05-23T09:24:34.182-04:00

We were a little worried as to how Karis would react to this new human constantly in her life, but we have been pleasantly surprised. I think she likes him more than either Lesley or me. She is definitely proud to show him off to visitors.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-89378648202493013732007-05-17T21:15:00.000-04:002007-05-17T21:19:06.369-04:00

Karis blowing Thomas a kiss.Karis giving her new brother a big SQUEEZE.

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-9440122002255475712007-05-17T21:08:00.000-04:002007-05-17T21:15:37.543-04:00

Naming is not easy. It's a hard thing to name another human being. Lesley and I put in a lot of consideration into both Thomas' and Karis' names.For those who don't know, 'Karis' is Greek for grace and her middle name, 'Sophia', is Greek for wisdom. Two virtues that we wish upon her.'Thomas Zane' was decided upon after much deliberation. In fact, Lesley and I employ 'bracketology' to help

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-29227731914378537722007-05-17T19:51:00.000-04:002007-05-17T21:07:59.985-04:00

So here is the quick run down. On Saturday night Lesley started to get contractions after a day of bike riding and gardening. Everything continued through Church on Sunday so we went to the hospital after Church. Things slowly progressed until 11:31 at night when Thomas Zane was finally born. There were no problems with the delivery. He weighed 5 pounds 9 oz. and was 17.25 inches long. Thomas

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-86206186621308890892007-05-08T15:02:00.000-04:002007-05-18T11:00:05.338-04:00

This was the title of a talk I heard recently by psychologist Tim Kasser. Kasser has been studying happiness and materialism. He has a book: The High Price of Materialism.In his talk, Kasser revealed his findings that those who have higher materialistic values are less happy. They score lower in vitality, general satisfaction, and pleasant emotions while scoring higher in anxiety, depression,

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-88470049408531603242007-05-05T07:11:00.000-04:002007-05-05T07:24:00.426-04:00

Over here, there is a discussion as to how it can be that atheists can be punnished by God if their atheistic belief is the belief that is epistemically justified for them. It does seem that there are atheists who are epistemically justified in their belief of atheism. That is, it seems like for at least some individual's the evidence that they have best supports atheism. This entails that

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-46730582688184288182007-05-01T10:18:00.000-04:002007-05-01T10:25:18.604-04:00

End of the semester has led to very sporatic blogging, but summer is quickly approaching.I just need to vent on a couple of things regarding the NFL draft that I have been hearing over and over.1. A team's draft cannot be assessed until 1-3 years after the draft. Why think that? Drafting decisions, like any other decisions ought to be evaluated at the time of the decision, based on the

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-52976756205763775902007-04-19T17:29:00.000-04:002007-04-19T17:35:05.843-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-81114818330691172982007-04-17T17:27:00.000-04:002007-04-20T15:35:28.274-04:00

Karis' response, "Dog . . . Uh - Oh!"

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-75255871566108529422007-04-17T17:22:00.000-04:002007-04-17T17:26:00.471-04:00

A while ago I was complaining about several contemporary praise songs and the theology contained therein. I neglected to pass along this site which represents great contemporary songs being written that are theologically sound and meaty.I highly recommend this albumn.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-68877758082396577852007-04-12T19:25:00.000-04:002007-04-12T19:29:44.660-04:00

I just heard about this story, where the worlds tallest man saves two dolphins by using his extremely long arms to reach into their stomachs and pull out shards of plastic. Why the bravest man? Talk to me about dolphins sometime.He also just got married (to someone 2/3 his height).

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-72532605437908803402007-04-09T18:46:00.000-04:002007-04-10T18:12:54.670-04:00

Peter van Inwagen in his recent book The Problem of Evil, claims that the concept of God is equivalent to the concept of the greatest (metaphysically) possible being. There is thus a flexibility in what attributes one ascribes to God depending upon what one thinks is metaphysically possible and what one thinks is a great-making feature.This understanding of the concept of God seems to be too weak

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-22318974862311210572007-04-08T10:48:00.000-04:002007-04-08T10:50:16.746-04:00

From St. John Chrysostom: Let all pious men and lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast. Let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord. Let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward. Let any who came after the third hour be grateful to join the feast,

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-16282250737064176702007-04-05T17:12:00.000-04:002007-04-05T17:15:37.322-04:00

An Eastern Catholic friend passed this excerpt from a hymn along to me that was sung yesterday. It presents a nice juxtaposition between Judas and Mary of Bethany in their reactions to Jesus:As the sinful woman was bringing her offering of myrrh, the disciple [Judas] was scheming with lawless men. She rejoiced in pouring out her precious gift; he lost no time in selling off the Precious One.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-80185369624399173922007-03-29T19:42:00.000-04:002007-03-29T19:43:57.791-04:00

So I was picking up a test today from the Academic Assistant Center, where people go to take tests with added accommodations. On the receptionists desk was a bowl of candy . . .full of Dum Dums.No joke.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-19859078122855478702007-03-24T09:10:00.000-04:002007-03-25T08:10:50.327-04:00

Here is a plausible principle that I think ought to be denied:Necessarily, if one has some evidence for p and no evidence against p, then one's total body of evidence supports p.I think that this principle should be denied since there is both 'direct' and 'indirect' evidence:p is direct evidence for q (for S) iff p evidentially supports q all by itself.p is indirect evidence for q (for S) iff (i)

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-90851969556821633832007-03-20T19:08:00.000-04:002007-03-20T19:26:06.269-04:00

I have been thinking about savings and retirement funds and what not recently (part of this relates to the post on philosophy and charity). I was thinking about how the ant is praised for storing up food for the winter and how there might be some evidence there regarding what we should do. However, I just got the monthly newsletter from Desiring God Ministries on this very issue. It is worth

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-90379877236690152122007-03-17T13:01:00.000-04:002007-03-17T13:04:34.994-04:00

Round 1 . . . not so good for me. As evidenced by my very red bracket.Only one person on CNNSI got the whole first round correct. That's only 12 more right than me.

jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-9424396200080678112007-03-14T10:29:00.000-04:002007-03-14T10:36:46.193-04:00

Perhaps you have heard of the stories claiming that the bones of Jesus have been discovered. These links were passed along to me, so I thought I would pass them along. They are responses to the alledged discovery:Toronto StarTimeBen Witherington's blog also has a lot of good stuff.

jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-78934535067755632022007-03-13T17:01:00.000-04:002007-03-13T17:02:54.956-04:00

30 and on Spring Break . . . I am either really cool or not at all.

jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-57738850936266748532007-03-11T11:11:00.000-04:002007-03-11T11:20:48.589-04:00

The blog has now been reformatted. I hope you like the new look. It now includes a picture I took of some frozen branches in our backyard [top right of page]. Here are some other recent pictures of an even better subject.Here are some shots of Karis enjoying some of our 80+ inches of snow this winter.Karis enjoying the phone and a taco. Two of her favorite things.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-49448066758642623012007-03-09T10:47:00.000-05:002007-03-09T10:48:25.267-05:00

Try this, where you have to place states on an unmarked map and then it calculates the average number of miles that you are off. My average was 32 miles, though I know someone who got a 3 mile average!

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-20981264002456008942007-03-06T20:44:00.000-05:002007-03-09T10:50:29.182-05:00

I am T.A.-ing for a Social and Political Philosophy course which has exposed me to several issues in philosophy I have never thought much about. We are currently studying the modern philosophers Hobbes and Locke -- mostly on the relation of church and state.Locke is clear in a division of church and state. The state promotes civil liberties (life, liberty, health, possessions, etc.) and the

jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-57625596154780692752007-03-06T17:07:00.000-05:002007-03-06T20:07:58.338-05:00

How many states can you name in 10 minutes?This Canadian rattled off 46.Don't let me beat you.Try it out here.I'll tell you what I missed in the comments, but no peeking before you try!

jonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-47238387490494992522007-03-06T08:59:00.000-05:002007-03-06T09:09:07.830-05:00

I have recently encountered two arguments related to charity that I thought that I would share and then get your thoughts.I. Peter Singer on our Obligations The argument here comes more in the form of a story. We are asked to imagine a person who has a very valuable car (perhaps there are no others like it). This car brings this individual a great deal of pleasure (perhaps even pleasure

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-54015898448768424182007-02-23T17:57:00.000-05:002007-02-23T19:26:56.280-05:00

What should our attitude be towards the Devil? Lesley noticed that a song on one of Karis' CD's speaks of learning to hate the Devil and this made us wonder. I'm not sure what to think yet, but I lean towards no.Here are some thoughts either way:1. We ought to hate the Devil. (thanks to Jason for a lot of these)a. Gen. 3:15 God says to the serpent, "... and I will put enmity between you and

jonnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1159879780003575422006-10-03T08:46:00.000-04:002006-10-03T08:49:40.026-04:00

Well week 4 tightened everything up.Larson finally started a full roster and got a win as a result.Armes put up the most points to date and coupled with me benching too many points gave me a loss, and Trina scored close to 100points in the Monday Night game alone to overtake Christy.I have made weekly trophies for the highest point totals for each week. They are hard to notice though. You have

jonnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1159275222351462212006-09-26T08:50:00.000-04:002006-09-26T08:54:52.203-04:00

Another week, another win.Christy and I are now the lone undefeateds. Dave is now the lone winless.Chaz mustered the highest total in beating Trina who put up the most points in a loss yet this season. He did so by riding Favre and Green nonetheless. Too bad the Packers only play the Lions one more time this year.The autodraft haters are also coming out of their closets, though their voices

jonnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1158671410549413612006-09-19T09:06:00.000-04:002006-09-19T09:10:10.550-04:00

Well another week on top for me. I feel like the Bears with all my dominating performances.I think that I am going to change the scoring for the Defensive Player to get an average game to yeild somewhere around 10-15 points. It just look rediculous when such a player earns a team 0.2 points. If you have any objections let me know.Perhaps we can all send some encouragement the way of Josh, Chaz,

jonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1158106306548147122006-09-12T20:09:00.000-04:002006-09-19T09:06:13.383-04:00

“When we play the way we’re supposed to play, like our defense played the way they played Sunday … I don’t think there’s no team in this league that can beat us,”-- Roy Williams, after guarenteeing that the Lions will beat the Bears. I agree, every team can beat the Lions.Corey Dillon was asked about his running style. "I'm downhill," he said. "Like San Francisco."

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1158101493737429992006-09-12T18:46:00.000-04:002006-09-12T18:52:14.983-04:00

Big things are happening:1. This is already the 100th post on this blog.2. I now have a little blurb next to my name on the Nazareth College website.3. Most impressively, Karis took her first steps [4 to be exact].As you can see, it was quite a frightening experience. She does not want to grow up.

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1158063805310565462006-09-12T08:17:00.000-04:002006-09-12T08:23:25.330-04:00

The relevant facts:Winners: Jon, Cliff, Brian, Lesley, ChristyLosers: Trina, Ben, Josh, Dave, ChazBattle of the week: Ben (69) vs. Cliff (76)Team with most players who scored less than 1pt: Ben (4)Most bench points: Cliff (115) -- [nearly double the points of his starters]Random comment: I'm not sure why the scores sometime go to the 13th decimal point, but whatever.

jonnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1158026156567738032006-09-11T21:46:00.000-04:002006-09-11T21:56:29.070-04:00

There is a discussion here about whether knowing how is reducible to knowing that. Knowing when, knowing where, knowing whether, and perhaps a few other forms of knowing do appear to be reducible to knowing that. One might think that knowing how can be reduced to knowing that an action is performed in a certain sequence. The question is whether knowing how can mean merely an ability to perform

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1157377205916084792006-09-04T09:35:00.000-04:002006-09-04T10:24:14.860-04:00

This morning felt like Christmas morning. I woke up and ran to the computer to see who it picked for my fantasy football team. I'm pretty happy with my team (though I like Lesley's even more). My weakness will be at running back, so anyone who wants to shop around a good RB, give me a ring.I also have an added investment in my favorite teams with two Colts and two Bears. That will make those

jonnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1157061026778440912006-08-31T17:35:00.000-04:002006-08-31T18:55:04.646-04:00

"You gotta serve somebody" -- Bob Dylan"Men are not free when they are doing just what they like. The moment you can do just what you like, there is nothing you care about doing" -- D.H. Lawrence"Safe?...Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe, but he's good. He's the King, I tell you." -- Mr. Beaver in 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'.And in honour of going back to school:"

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1156541816468841192006-08-25T17:31:00.000-04:002006-08-25T17:38:22.596-04:00

I'm excited about the upcoming college football season, particularly with the high expectations that have been placed on *the* Ohio State University. I was worried a little about the early match-up with Texas, but then I found out that the kid from Malcom in the Middle is Texas' quarterback. Compare as you dare.

jonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1156523131631179422006-08-25T12:21:00.000-04:002006-08-25T12:25:31.633-04:00

Forbes just released a special report on the drunkest city in the United States, and even with Lesley's departure, Milwaukee came out on top. Read it here.As one individual interviewed puts it, "It's cold here, and we need our brandy."

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1156375579059866002006-08-23T19:21:00.000-04:002006-08-23T19:27:12.676-04:00

The Dalit Freedom Network is a worthy organization that works with arguably the most oppressed people in the world. They have programs of child sponsorship, social justice, economic development, and healthcare. These latter three ministries are in desperate need of more finances. Consider a donation, or at least get a clay cup for $1 to help keep the Dalit in your thoughts and prayers.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1156258968583088462006-08-22T11:00:00.000-04:002006-08-22T11:02:48.583-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1155610377166906872006-08-14T22:52:00.000-04:002006-08-14T22:52:57.166-04:00

"Love, to be real, must cost. It must hurt. It must empty us of self." -- Mother Teresa"Should it (Pluto), for historical reasons, be considered a planet like the rest?" -- Owen Gingerich, professor of Astronomy and History of Science emeritus a the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics on the current debate regarding Pluto's status. More here. A tough question."How many people here think

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1155610163657727852006-08-14T21:43:00.000-04:002006-08-14T22:50:52.573-04:00

New pictures are up here. They include: CAMPING KARIS PARTY PEN KARIS AND SICK KARIS

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1154971807658271992006-08-07T13:22:00.000-04:002006-08-07T13:30:07.676-04:00

Fresh off turning 10 months old Karis has taken to chicken, beef, cheese, and juice.I also think she said 'Hezbollah' the other day, but I could have been mistaken.

jonnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1154824260185509082006-08-05T20:29:00.000-04:002006-08-14T22:53:48.320-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1154701103066916732006-08-04T09:56:00.000-04:002006-08-04T10:30:20.233-04:00

"I am very humbled to be in the presence of so many world-class wieners" - The Mexican Chorizo [the new contestant in the Milwaukee Brewers sausage race.]"I asked for strength that I might achieve;I was made weak that I might learn to humbly obey.I asked for health that I might do greater things;I was given infirmity that I might do better things.I asked for riches that I might be happy;I was

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1154382683692728552006-07-31T17:20:00.000-04:002006-08-14T15:36:05.603-04:00

Take the following excerpts from popular praise songs I have encountered recently [this list is by no means exhaustive]:(1) "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about you. It's all about you, Jesus."- The Heart of Worship(2) "You took the fall, and thought of me above all."- Above AllFirst, what is wrong with such lyrics. With regard to (1), it completely ignores two members of

jonnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1153634337644450182006-07-23T01:52:00.000-04:002006-07-23T01:59:49.486-04:00

I apparently do not hear as many gems over the summer, but I have stored up a few:"Ha Ha! Burly man and a baby." -- some chubby VBS kid while pointing at me carrying Karis. It was a very Nelson-like moment."I am going to proceed now." -- brother Dan to the girl in the drive-through window after giving her his order."Shame on the family in my neighborhood who gave their ten year old boy a BB gun.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1153251356321882152006-07-18T15:33:00.000-04:002006-07-18T15:36:26.603-04:00

Me too. I have come across this great blog which is slowly working through the issues and possible responses with regard to this Christian doctrine. I would encourage others to follow along as well. It is fairly new, so it is not too late to go back and read the entries from the beginning.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1152937956098104312006-07-15T00:28:00.000-04:002006-07-15T00:34:23.980-04:00

It has been a long while since I posted anything of any practical of philosophical significance. A recent family debate has brought this issue to the forefront: Monkey vs. Panda.Who wins? No other information is allowed to influence the decision (ie. what kind of monkey, if the monkey is trained in martial arts, if the monkey has a knife).I think it is clear that the monkey wins. Opposable thumbs

jonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1152239865227564862006-07-06T22:26:00.000-04:002006-07-06T22:37:45.243-04:00

Well it may seem like it has been nine months since my last post, but Karis is now nine months old. Karis now enjoys swimming, bike riding, feeding herself (somewhat sucessfully), crawling(somewhat sucessfully), and pulling herself up whenever she can.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1150130781813303362006-06-12T12:42:00.000-04:002006-06-12T12:46:21.813-04:00

The GRE, despite my feelings for it, speaks highly of Philosophy majors (despite my participation in it) in contrast with say. . . Social Work majors.Check out how your major compares here.

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1150130543647247902006-06-12T12:24:00.000-04:002006-06-12T12:42:23.670-04:00

jonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22874063.post-1149263875543809832006-06-02T11:39:00.000-04:002006-06-02T11:58:46.113-04:00

"The historic fight for justice has become our own. It is now our turn to leave a legacy for generations to come . . . TO GENERATE HISTORY IN OUR TIME."- The International Justice Mission's new campaign. Check it out and get involved here."Canadians are healthier than their U.S. neighbors and receive more consistent medical care"- Harvard Medical School Study. Read the article here."She had said

jonnoreply@blogger.com0