Who gets credit for ideas?

June 23, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

Earlier today, I attended a virtual memorial service, streamed on YouTube. These have become more common in the age of COVID when we can’t be together in person. The image on the screen was a minuscule group of family gathered together outdoors, wearing mask, with a Rabbi standing behind a microphone. Despite the health-and-safety mandated […]

Defining Atheism

March 23, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

There’s a nice new, short and to the point, video from Venaloid looking at the definitions of atheism and theism. Language often breaks down when discussing sensitive topics, in particular because the way we use words in conversation can drift over time and between groups. So a word may not mean quite the same thing […]

Is Math Racist

March 20, 2021.Reading time 18 minutes.

I recently reviewed a document which as been circulating and generating much criticism. It’s called A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction – Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction. It can be downloaded here, although few will dare to read it because it it is over eighty pages long. I became aware of it through a tweet […]

The Role of Riddles

March 13, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

I came across this riddle and it got me thinking: First of all, the premise of a logic rave at “Learning Man” is just adorable. And I wished that more kids could be exposed to it. Then I realized all of the challenges. How would I teach this in a classroom? Clearly, I should outline […]

Can God Lie?

February 26, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

I wanted to respectfully disagree with the content of this video from Venaloid: I want to disagree with the argument and I suppose in the process become God’s Advocate. (Rather than the Devil’s Advocate.) Not to say that I think god exists — spoiler: he doesn’t — but that arguments of this type aren’t entirely […]