Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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(Our World in Data) The end of progress against extreme poverty?
In the last three decades, the world has made progress against extreme poverty faster than ever before. But unless the poorest economies start growing, this period of progress against the worst form of poverty is over.
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(The Comics Curmudgeon) It’s not the clam’s fault it’s very quiet
Comics Curmudgeon readers! Do you love this blog and yearn for a novel written by its creator? Well, good news: Josh Fruhlinger’s The Enthusiast is that novel! It’s even about newspaper comic strips, partly. Check it out! Panel from Slylock Fox, 11/16/25 Poor Slick Smitty. He thought he had found a way to beat Slylock…
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(Policy of Truth) Yes, West Orange, This Is Your Business
I was pleased to see that my statement on the Immigrant Trust Act to the West Orange Town Council got headline treatment in TapInto West Orange. The reporter summarizes my statement, and then quotes Council member Joyce Rudin as favoring passage of a pro-ITA resolution: [Regarding] the Immigrant Trust Act, I frankly, don’t know why…
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(The Comics Curmudgeon) Being cool is not a sin, Dennis
Comics Curmudgeon readers! Do you love this blog and yearn for a novel written by its creator? Well, good news: Josh Fruhlinger’s The Enthusiast is that novel! It’s even about newspaper comic strips, partly. Check it out! Pardon My Planet, 11/15/25 Truly, this is a dark vision of an alternate timeline where the British won…
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(A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry) Collections: Hoplite Wars, Part I: The Othismos over Othismos
This week (and next) we’re looking at hoplites, the heavy infantry of the ancient Greek poleis in the (early? mid? late?) Archaic and Classical periods, into the Hellenistic. In particular, I want to outline the major debate, which I have alluded to quite a few times here, that swirls around hoplite warfare and the phalanx.…
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( Comments for Policy of Truth ) Comment on Unholy Choirs of Cacophony by Roderick T. Long
In reply to Irfan Khawaja. The only Muslim country I’ve been to is Turkey. One could debate whether it counts as a Muslim country, depending on the strictness of definition; but the relevant respect in which it’s Muslim is that one does ge…
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( Comments for Policy of Truth ) Comment on Unholy Choirs of Cacophony by Irfan Khawaja
In reply to Roderick T. Long. The Muslim call to prayer, the adhan, is significantly more intrusive than church bells. As a rule, church bells only sound once or twice on Sunday mornings. The adhan sounds five times a day, every single day without exce…
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( Comments for Policy of Truth ) Comment on Unholy Choirs of Cacophony by Roderick T. Long
Not sure why the Muslim call to prayer is any more intrusive than the bells on Christian churches. Though I find both pretty. (Unlike the leafblower.) “Unholy Choirs of Cacophony” would be a great name for a band though. LikeLike
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(Policy of Truth) Unholy Choirs of Cacophony
People sometimes complain, with some justification, that the Muslim call to prayer is a theocratic attempt to command airspace for Islam. The equivalent in the American suburbs is the gas-powered leaf-blower, which is just as loud, just as jarring, just as disturbing to peace and quiet, and at least as ubiquitous. If the call to…
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