Nate Sheff is an adjunct professor of philosophy in Connecticut. His writing has appeared in Aeon, Psyche, and the Institute of Art and Ideas. He can be reached through his website at natesheff.com. Email: natesheff [at] gmail.com
by Nate Sheff We all naturally take an interest in the night sky. Just last week, my fiancee and I attended an event put on by the Astronomical Society of New Haven. Without a cloud in the sky, near-freezing temperatures, and a new moon, the conditions were ideal for looking through telescopes the size of…
by Nate Sheff (Lots of spoilers for Barbie.) Plato’s cave allegory depicts the philosopher’s journey out of the world of appearances and into the real light of day. After a long climb out from the pits and puppet shows, our protagonist emerges into the world under the sun, whose light makes everything else visible. Having…
by Nate Sheff We trained our dog Gemini using positive reinforcement techniques, “clicker training.” She can sit, give handshakes and high fives, roll over, and we never used negative reinforcement to teach her. That’s all true, but what do I mean by negative reinforcement? A lot of us assume that it has something to do…
by Nate Sheff Harry Frankfurt died on July 16, 2023. As a philosophy student I came to appreciate him for his work on freedom and responsibility, but as a high school word nerd, I came to know him the way other shoppers did: as the author of one of those small books near the bookstore…
by Nate Sheff Not long ago, I went to the Yale University Art Gallery and saw their collection of Egyptian art. Seeing the dates on some of the pieces, it occurred to me that I had never really considered just how old Egyptian civilization is. I looked up some historical events to get perspective, and…