Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Evidence Suggests CTU Is Using Mischievous Marketing Methods As It Seeks Control Over the Chicago Board of Education It starts simply enough with a text message from Amy at McGuire Research. Of course, I’ve never heard of McGuire Research and thus it’s impossible that I know Amy. But she uses my name – sure it’s…

Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all. – Thomas Carlyle, On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History (1840) It wasn’t always this way. In 18th century England any reporting or publication of debates taking place in…

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” – – Newton’s Third Law of Motion (1687) Historically speaking, it was roughly halfway between the time the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock (1620) and the start of the American revolution that science proved actions have consequences. With his publication of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica,…

The most powerful word in the English language is BECAUSE. After witnessing the trouncing of facts, logic, and reason in the primary election two weeks ago, it’s time to take a hard look at what it’s going to take to convince Chicago’s voters that things should be better. While there is no panacea, the bottom…

It’s been unfixable for over a decade. This is not a new problem: “We are writing today to let you know that the pension crisis has grown so severe that it is now, unfixable,” said the letter co-signed by Miles White, chairman of the Commercial Club; Jim Farrell, chairman of the Civic Committee, and Ty…

Are There Any Smart People at the Intersection of Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Media? In days of old it was the media’s job. Twenty-five years ago every mayoral candidate had to sit down for a full hour every Sunday morning and be prepared for an in-depth discussion on various matters. Back in the day…

What’s really going on with mail-in voting in Chicago? According to the Chicago Board of Elections’ database, as of early August there were 2,115,542 registered voters in Chicago. Of those, 1,570,753 were in active status. Two addresses share the title of having the greatest number of active voters. The first is 2700 S. California; that’s…