Coen ArmstrongKripke’s contingent a priori/necessary a posteriorisSaul Kripke in Naming and Necessity (1990) famously argued that there can be a priori truths that are nonetheless contingent–so not…Feb 10, 2018Feb 10, 2018
Coen ArmstrongJustifying some aspects of criminal justice through the philosophy of identity.As I have mentioned before, I find the view that identity is a non-binary relation persuasive. In other words, if all the cells in your…Jan 3, 2018Jan 3, 2018
Coen ArmstrongPsychological Experiment on ‘Learned’ ResponsesA while ago, I posted about the sunk cost fallacy. My thesis was that it was an evolutionary solution to the commitment problem: a way for…Dec 22, 2017Dec 22, 2017
Coen ArmstrongNon-conventional DiscountingIn economics, people ‘discount’ future happiness, earnings, whatnot in exchange for present happiness: they value future happiness less…Nov 26, 2017Nov 26, 2017
Coen ArmstrongGellner’s Concept of Social Entropy and the study of DiscriminationDiscrimination levels are determined by two variables. First is the extent to which one would wish to discriminate: how much material…Oct 24, 2017Oct 24, 2017
Coen Armstrong(very) Early British Christianity–and thoughts on the Historical MethodJoseph of Arimathea, so the legend goes, took Jesus to Britain’s green and pleasant lands during his ‘lost years’, the biblically ignored…May 2, 2017May 2, 2017
Coen ArmstrongIs/oughtThe great Scottish philosopher David Hume observed that we make decisions on what ought to be on the basis of what is. This is, I think…Apr 3, 2017Apr 3, 2017
Coen ArmstrongActively Doing Nothing: Sun Tzu and Trump’s Flaw‘He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight’ -Sun Tzu, first principle of warfareFeb 14, 2017Feb 14, 2017
Coen Armstrong(General) Thoughts on Socrates’ Death DialoguesPlato’s metaphysics is fascinating, not just in terms of the philosophy it tries to prove, but the way it goes about proving it. The fame…Jan 16, 2017Jan 16, 2017