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Author Archives: Timothy Burke
The Machine of Morbius
The nettle that I do not think we can grasp easily is that Trump is not Trump for some of his devoted voters. Meaning that his actual attributes, character, quality of leadership, integrity, history, matter almost not at all. What … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
10 Comments
Change the Police
I often make an argument that we should be generous towards minor acts of professional misjudgment, particularly those caught on video, that no one deserves to have their professional future changed in an instant for a single miscalculation. However, the … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
10 Comments
The Instrument of Future Mischief
A friend of mine has been quoting a few thoughts about the minor classic SF film Colossus: The Forbin Project, about an AI that seizes control of the world and establishes a thoroughly totalitarian if ostensibly “humane” governance. He asks … Continue reading
Fix on Fail I: Everyday Arguments for Pluralism, Multiculturalism and Diversity
This is the first in a small series of essays about everyday forms of social reason behind commonly defended values or propositions, each of which will argue that those values are now profoundly at risk. Political elites, intellectuals, and civil … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
5 Comments
Welcome to the Skinnerdome
I think a tremendous amount of writing so far this election season about the Presidential race shows primarily that the effect of social media on public discourse is increasingly dire. Here’s the thing: I would characterize the majority of what … Continue reading
Three Thoughts on the Nomination of Hillary Clinton
1. This is simple. If Hillary Clinton loses the election to the possibly the most unpopular, polarizing and vulnerable Presidential candidate in American history, I will not blame her. I will, however, blame her supporters, aides and the Democratic party … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
26 Comments
On the Arrival of Rough Beasts
One of the things I find most interesting about the history of advertising is the long-running conflict between the “creatives” and their more quantitative, data-driven opponents within ad agencies. It’s a long-running, widespread opposition between a more humanistic, intuitive, interpretative … Continue reading
Dramatic Arc
Me at the beginning of a class meeting where I’ve assigned one of my favorite books. Me realizing that maybe a quarter of the class read it with any real attention despite the fact that I already said it’s going … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Swarthmore
6 Comments
Cost Control Is a Progressive Value
If you are a long-time reader of this increasingly intermittent blog, you know I have some recurrent frustrations and fascinations that I return to again and again. Sometimes in fact the blog is intermittent because I am afraid I am … Continue reading
Posted in Academia, Politics
2 Comments
A Chance to Show Quality
Romantic ideals of originality still remain deeply embedded in how we recognize, cultivate and reward merit in most of our selective systems of education, reputation and employment. In particular we read for the signs of that kind of authentic individuality … Continue reading