The office of Devil’s Advocate is a historical reality. Created in 1587, the jurist’s task was to poke holes in dossiers proposing the canonization of a new saint. Our easier task is to poke holes in the dominant narratives.
Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki’s condemnation of nuclear weapons as “absolute evil” should open up a debate about both the weapons and the idea of evil. Speech-act theory, just war doctrine and Pope Francis’s moral critique all bear on the question —...
Francis Bacon’s essay “Of Truth” masks his own service to...
On America’s 250th anniversary, it may be time to think...
Two new “trillionaires” — the US military and Elon Musk...
The word “should” pervades public discourse — from politicians to...
Gemini refused to answer my innocent question in French about...
Pope Leo XIV’s concerns about AI’s societal impact remind us...
Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove once seemed like savage satire, but...
From the postwar boom to today’s fracturing world order, the...
From the scorched earth of the Thirty Years’ War to...
Fair Observer, 461 Harbor Blvd, Belmont, CA 94002, USA
Unique Insights from 2,500+ Contributors in 90+ Countries
