Philosophy puzzles
It’s a rainy Friday afternoon, so you may be in search of indoor entertainment. Why not amuse yourself with some of the many philosophical brainteasers available online?
- The Hamilton Puzzler
- Philosophy Crosswords
- University of Rochester philosophy puzzles
- Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Illusions links from Andreas Teuber’s “Introduction to Philosophy” class
And next time you’re at the M. D. Anderson Library, you might also want to take a look at There are two errors in the title of this book: a sourcebook of philosophical puzzles, problems, and paradoxes by Robert M. Martin (call number: BC199.P2 M38 2002).
NameDrop philosophy game
Looking for an amusing distraction? Philosophy Now offers a simple game that tests your knowledge of when philosophers lived. Called NameDrop, it presents you with a name (and the names range well beyond the Western philosophical canon) and you try to identify the century in which that philosophical luminary lived. Figuring out how to play takes some trial and error, but it’s surprisingly interesting once you get going. It would be nice if the program offered more information about the various philosophers included, but if one strikes your fancy, you can always do some follow-up research!
April Fools!
No, the blog’s new appearance isn’t a joke. The library systems department has migrated our blogs to a new platform, which should make things easier for us and, we hope, more attractive and functional for you. Look for further improvements as I learn how to use the new system.
And if you need a break on this first day of April, check out the Museum of Hoaxes website, which features a list of the Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes of All Time.
2007 Best Books
As the year draws to a close and people scramble for holiday gifts, a number of "Best Books of 2007" lists are appearing. These lists often feature more popular than academic titles, but they’re a good indicator of what topics are capturing public attention these days. Lists relevant to religion and/or philosophy include:
- Amazon.com editors’ picks in religion and spirituality
- Amazon.com customer favorites in religion and spirituality
- Financial Times Year in Books–Politics and Religion
- American Academy of Religion book awards
Remember that you can always ask the library to purchase titles of interest, using the online form.
Philosophers’ Birthdays Calendar
Looking for an excuse to celebrate? EpistemeLinks offers a calendar of philosophers’ birthdays, which includes links to sources for more information about each philosopher. Next month brings us opportunities to mark the births of Rorty, Nietzsche, Foucault, Dewey, and Erasmus, among other luminaries. If you would like to mark these occasions with gifts, the EpistemeLinks Store has many unusual philosophy-themed items for sale.
Philosophy Funnies
A blog entry written on a Friday in August shouldn’t be too serious, so I’ll just recommend the philosophical humor page put together by David Chalmers of the Australian National University and the recently published book Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar…: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes. (Listening to the New York Times Book Update weekly podcast, though, I learned that the bit about the Sopranos and the Golden Rule featured in this book is misleading. Dwight Garner explains.)
Martin Luther is in your extended network
MySpace, the popular online social networking tool, has inspired some funny things, including profile pages for such luminaries of religion and philosophy as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Siddhartha Gautama, Socrates, and Descartes. It’s interesting to see the ways people use this technology in unexpected and occasionally quite clever ways.
Games Philosophers Play
Looking for an interactive website about the Big Questions? The Philosopher’s Magazine Online offers a collection of games with such intriguing titles as "Do-It-Yourself Deity" and "Shakespeare vs. Britney Spears," which invite you to investigate in a 21st-century way issues that have preoccupied human beings for ages.
Enjoy!
