doxa

March 10, 2025

Thoughts. LXVI. Thinking in groups as opposed to group think.

We constantly seek out others to help us think. We go for counselling; we lose sleep researching; we lose sleep about big decisions, such as finances and health; we lose sleep worrying about whether we’ve done the right thing; we ask for advice; we gossip; we vent; we read self-help books, consumer reports, studies, news; Continue reading

Philosophy, Thoughtlets

dependence, doxa, epistemology, group think, Philosophy, rationality, research, social
February 10, 2025

Thoughtlets. LXI.

This is why I think Hobbes is important: “And as in arithmetic, unpracticed men must, and professors themselves may often err and cast up false, so also in any other subject of reasoning, the ablest, most attentive, and most practised men may deceive themselves and infer false conclusions, not but that reason itself is always Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric

certainty, controversy, doxa, doxastic, epistemology, facts, Hobbes, Leviathan, opinion, Philosophy, reason, rhetoric, right, righteous, science, uncertainty, warrant
February 10, 2025

Thoughtlets. LX.

Bit by bit, I’ll be publishing from the draft of my Masters thesis, an account of belief acquisition and maintenance concerning not what we believe, but how we believe. An excerpt follows: One problem with evaluating scholarly claims, such as the consensus on climate science, is that most — and by far the vast majority Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric

authority, belief, decide, decision, doxa, doxastic, epistemology, evaluate, faith, Hobbes, Philosophy, rhetoric, sources, trust
January 28, 2025

What beliefs do for us. Aaron C.T. Smith

In his book, Cognitive Mechanisms of Belief Change, Aaron CT Smith, a cognitive scientist from Melbourne, Australia, provides a brilliant analogy to explain what beliefs do for us. Flock Theory, “In my estimation…beliefs follow the same kinds of rules governing flocks of birds…First, successful beliefs fit the rule of separation. Like birds in the flock, Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric, Social and Political Commentary

Aaron CT Smith, aqusition, belief, cognitive science, doxa, doxastic, epistemology, flock theory, instrumental, Philosophy, social, theory
January 16, 2025

Doing our doxastic labour together (vetting candidates for beliefs with our peeps), 4 of 4: What we stand to lose.

Recall my project here, Doing our doxastic labour together (vetting candidates for beliefs with our peeps), 1 of 4 In the final instalment of this series, I lay a few bones (see 3 of 4) on the table for your consideration. I hope you find them as interesting as I do. “If the human race Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric, Social and Political Commentary

belief, beliefs, CNN, community, cooperation, doxa, doxastic, epistemology, Fox, groups, knowledge, lonely, medias, mental health, MSNBC, news, opinion, Philosophy, rhetoric, social, social media, technology, tribe
January 16, 2025

Doing our doxastic labour together (vetting candidates for beliefs with our peeps) 2 of 4: Survival & Companionship

To find out what I’m up to here, see : Doing our doxastic labour together (vetting candidates for beliefs with our peeps) 1 of 4 *I’ve checked the links below to ensure they are active as of Jan 16, 2025 Often times we pick up facts that appear useful or interesting and bring them back Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric, Social and Political Commentary

belief, beliefs, companionship, doxa, doxastic, epistemology, evolution, friends, groups, mental health, peeps, Philosophy, psychology, relationships, social, social epistemology, support, survival, tribe
January 16, 2025

Doing our doxastic labour together (vetting candidates for beliefs with our peeps) 1 of 4

This post is comprised of some slightly retooled old work (published in 2019, then unpublished). It might just win the banality award (although it’s made some people angry). But some might find it interesting. Some of my references are a bit out of date now, but are still useful. Note: Doxa is belief or opinion. Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric, Social and Political Commentary

belief, companionship, delectation, doxa, doxastic, epistemology, friends, mattering, mutual, opinion, peeps, Philosophy, politics, psychology, religion, shame, social, social epistemology, survival, trust
June 15, 2024

Thoughtlets. LIII. Gossepistemology.

I’m suggesting a novel portmanteau, at least in as far as a cursory Google search tells me: Gossepistemology. Gossip + Epistemology. (*Google provides links to myriad articles on gossip & epistemology.) In Philosophy, epistemology is the branch concerned with the study of knowledge. A classical concern of epistemology is the distinction between opinion and knowledge Continue reading

Thoughtlets

belief, distinction, doxa, evidence, gossepistemology, gossip, knowledge, opinion, Philosophy, reliable, rhetoric, social, testimony
October 14, 2021

What, if anything, is wrong with MSNBC, CNN, and FOX? (Part 1 of 2)

My other half habitually surfs through a number of national and international news channels in the evenings. Our house is small, so I’m captive to whatever noise emanates from these rotating broadcasts. Sometimes this noise really gets under my skin. Such as? Such as the current tabloid coverage of the Gabby Petito case by the Continue reading

Philosophy, Political Rhetoric, Social and Political Commentary

analyses, analysis, beliefs, CNN, critic, criticism, determinants of health, divisions, doxa, doxastic, emotion, entertainment, epistemology, Fox, health, hyper, hyper-partisan, information, informed, internet, media, MSNBC, natural selection, news, newspapers, opinion, partisan, Philosophy, political, postman, rhetoric, smartphones, social, stability, tabloid, television
August 29, 2020

Saturday Morning Pam-Toons. Truth sets you free?

TRUTH. IT’S TRUE. TELL THE TRUTH. I’M TELLING THE TRUTH. YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH. YOU CAN HAVE THE TRUTH WHEN YOU PRY IT OUT OF MY COLD, DEAD HANDS. TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE. THE TRUTH AS I SEE IT. TRUE FOR YOU, BUT NOT FOR ME. TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE. BE Continue reading

Pam-Toons

belief, cartoon, doxa, epistemic, epistemology, ethics, graphic, jtb, justified, knowledge, media, narrative, opinion, Philosophy, rhetoric, true, truth