Author Archives: TJ

About TJ

Scientist, engineer, inventor, writer, poet, sailor, hiker, canoeist, father.

True Meaning

A friend recently used the acronym “SMH” and I had no clue what it meant, so I looked it up via one of those search engine thingies all the cool kids are talking about. It linked me to an entry … Continue reading

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Property, People, Parties

Before the Chartists, Westminster-style democracies had parliaments that unequivocally represented property. There were property qualifications for voters, much less members. The upper house represented the aristocracy, which was different from mere wealth. This is a concept Canadians may have some … Continue reading

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Plumper Cove

Plumper Cove is a BC marine park on Keats Island, which is in the mouth of Howe Sound between Bowen Island and Gibsons. The weather this April has been unseasonably cold and wet, but the weather forecast was good for … Continue reading

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More Things That Are Not Arguments

I recently had some interactions with anti-gun-control people (there is a lot of that about) in which one of them offered the following statement (which is not an argument): “if someone is really intent on hurting someone, even if they … Continue reading

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Halket Bay

Halket Bay is the eastern-most bay on Gambier Island, just past Bowen Island in the mouth of Howe Sound. There’s a marine park in that wraps around much of the bay, interrupted by some private land on the eastern shore. … Continue reading

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Scary Creatures

Behold the scary creatures I have known on land and sea and even in the air: a shark or two, sea-lions and a duck whose hurling form came headlong at my face in level flight. My eyes could see so … Continue reading

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Supernatural Explanations

Before talking about supernatural explanations, it’s a good idea to say something about explanations in general. An explanation is a causal account of a particular situation based on general principles, laws or abstractions. Causal accounts are general, explanatory accounts are … Continue reading

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The Art of Arbitrary Choices

Engineering is more like art than people think. So is science. The key to all of them is the same: making arbitrary choices well. On the face of it, an arbitrary choice ought to be, well… arbitrary. It shouldn’t matter … Continue reading

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What is Art?

Art is an act of communication between two human beings that involves intentionality on the part of the creator and inference of that intentionality on the part of at least one impersonal experiencer. By “impersonal experiencer” I mean one who … Continue reading

Posted in epistemology, language, poetry | 2 Comments

Why Isn’t the Germ Theory of Disease Mentioned in Scripture?

My text for the day will be the Gospel According to Lister, in which he recounts the revelation God gave to His beloved prophet, Pasteur: And in those days there was a great sickness in the land, and the people … Continue reading

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