Essays Archives

An oil painting of Charlotte Brontë as a robot writing a novel while surrounded by stacks of leather-bound books.

A humanities researcher puts AI bot ChatGPT through a few tests, with mostly laughable results and one promising potential use.

Essays Science & Tech

A Wise Thing Bearing Gifts: My Conversations with ChatGPT

December 22, 2022December 22, 2022 13 min read Walter Horn Artificial Intelligence, Christmas

A humanities researcher puts AI bot ChatGPT through a few tests, with mostly laughable results and one promising potential use.

A romantic oil painting featuring the pragmatist philosophers John Dewey and Richard Rorty sitting next to gentle streams multiplying away from them into the background.

Contrasting with hope in a fixed or eternal order, pragmatists John Dewey and Richard Rorty connect hope to continual growth and conversation.

Essays Philosophy

Dewey and Rorty: Sending Pragmatist Hopes in New Directions

November 3, 2022March 6, 2023 18 min read Nick Gall Hope, John Dewey, Meliorism, Pragmatism, Richard Rorty, William James

Contrasting with hope in a fixed or eternal order, pragmatists John Dewey and Richard Rorty connect hope to continual growth and conversation.

A romantic oil painting of three Victorian women overlooking majestic mountain peaks.

While pragmatists accept the tragic and boundless nature of a constantly changing and foundationless reality, William James offers hope in a naturalized theism.

Essays Philosophy

What Can Pragmatists Hope for in a Boundless World?

October 27, 2022March 2, 2023 20 min read Nick Gall Charles Sanders Peirce, Chauncey Wright, Hope, Meliorism, Pragmatism, William James

While pragmatists accept the tragic and boundless nature of a constantly changing and foundationless reality, William James offers hope in a naturalized theism.

A pebble beach with waves in the background, Black Rock Beach on Block Island where Megan Craig visited following the death of her long-time mentor and friend, the pragmatist philosopher Richard Bernstein.

A long-time friend and former student of the eminent pragmatist philosopher Richard Bernstein reflects on her mentor's commitment to pluralism and love of children.

Essays Philosophy

A Wishing Stone for Dick

August 9, 2022August 9, 2022 13 min read Megan Craig Children, Death, Loss, Pragmatism

A long-time friend and former student of the eminent pragmatist philosopher Richard Bernstein reflects on her mentor’s commitment to pluralism and love of children.