Susan Dominus writes about four guys in Bogota. They are two sets of identical twins: A1 & A2, and B1 & B2. A2 and B2 were switched at birth. A2 is taken home by the B-parents and raised as B1's fraternal twin; B2 is taken home by the A-mother and raised as A1's fraternal twin. The mix-up isn't discovered until the guys are well into adulthood. The story is scientifically fascinating. It's also very moving. The story has been reprinted by the SMH.
Christopher Donohue continues his series on Joseph Agassi.
Harald Sack looks back at Thomas Kuhn.
At the BBC, Melvyn Bragg interviews Melissa Lane, Janet Radcliffe Richards, and Brad Hooker on utilitarianism.
Videos and podcasts from the conference 'New Insights and Directions in Religious Epistemology', which ex-apologist liked.
Carlos Fraenkel recommends five books of philosophy for a divided world. Noël Carrol recommends five books on the philosophy of art. Jerry Coyne recommends five books on 'the incompatibility of religion and science'. Beth Shapiro recommends five books on evolution and such.
James K. A. Smith reviews Peter Harrison's The Territories of Science and Religion.
Charlie Huenemann on 'early modern revolution':
Spinoza’s advice – to see the universe as determined to follow its own laws, and to console ourselves by turning our minds to what is eternal and divine – was not just pretty words; it was offered as a palliative for existential anxiety and despair. When we ignore their complicated circumstances, we risk mistaking these philosophers for university professors, with nothing more at stake than records of publication.Partially Examined Life on the philosophy of history, part 1 and part 2 (on Vico).
Mark Jay Mirsky reviews Thought Flights: Stories, Glosses, Literary Fragments of Robert Musil, translated and with an introduction by Genese Grill.
From last October, Arcade's forum on the essay (with contributions on Montaigne, Swift, Borges, and a piece by Thomas Harrison on 'the essayistic novel', which is about Musil).
