Philip Yaffe

How to Turn an Agnostic into a Believer

Dear Reader, I am a devout agnostic. I have been carrying on an electronic conversation with a devout Christian, in fact an evangelist, for about two years. It was not my intention to challenge her faith, but rather to seek answers to questions that underlie my agnosticism. This is not the first time I have entered into such a conversation with a devout Christian. However, it is... (posted by Philip 67 days ago.)

Debunking the Myth of Complexity and Culture

by Philip Yaffe I used to speak Swahili. I don’t anymore, but at one time I was nearly fluent. This is because in the mid-1960s I spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching mathematics and physics in Tanzania(East Africa). When I mention this episode of my life, I usually get one of two reactions. 1. Swahili must be a difficult language to learn, because... (posted by Philip 246 days 20 hours ago.)

Uses and Abuses of Racist Jokes

I love racist jokes. If you are shocked by this declaration, you shouldn’t be because what I mean by the term is not those disgusting, brutal — and generally false — observations designed to cause offense and injury. These do not qualify as jokes, because there is nothing funny about putting people in degrading pigeonholes. What I mean by racist jokes are those well-crafted stories... (posted by Philip 256 days 16 hours ago.)

The Dichotomy of Polygamy

by Philip Yaffe I recently did an Internet search to find out why polygamy is banned in some places in the world and is not, and even encouraged, in others. Why? Because a few years ago I did a similar search and came up with essentially nothing. Those sites that talked about the illegality of polygamy basically listed where such bans were in effect but gave no reasons why, which of course was object of the exercise. The... (posted by Philip 256 days 16 hours ago.)

The Surprising Benefits of a Pre-first Draft

by Philip Yaffe Ever since I joined Toastmasters International several years ago, people have been telling me that I am a “natural-born speaker.” If you don’t already know, Toastmasters is a worldwide club (250,000 members) of people helping each other improve their presentation skills. I strongly recommend it ( www.Toastsmasters.org ). A feature of each meeting of my particular club is... (posted by Philip 256 days 17 hours ago.)

How Spelling Reform Would Promote Good Writing

I know that what I am about to say may seem to be somewhat off the wall. However, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that a major reason most people write so poorly is the chaotic state of English spelling. It seems evident that the more you must concentrate on the correct form of the words you use, the less you can concentrate on how best to use them, i.e.... (posted by Philip 335 days 19 hours ago.)

Resurrecting the Bullet Point: The Return of an Old and Valued Friend

I have recently been reading and hearing comments that bullet points for slide presentations are dead, as evidenced by the rapidly-becoming-legendary presentations of Steve Jobs, co-founder and head of Apple Inc. There are three things wrong with this notion. 1.  Bullets points, an extremely useful communication tool, are moribund largely due to the unthinking, mind-deadening... (posted by Philip 1 year 31 days ago.)

Science, Reason, and Robots

It is often said that what distinguishes true science fiction from space horse operas is its ability to examine fundamental questions of ethics, philosophy, and sociology in situations so remote from contemporary life that they can be considered with greater acuity and less emotion. I was recently reminded of this when I inadvertently reread a short story by Isaac Asimov. Anyone who knows... (posted by Philip 1 year 126 days ago.)