The Philosophical Optimist

              I’m sure I’m late in saying it, but it seemed right to express my utter delight at the return of David Tennant as the Doctor.   His appearance at the climax of the regeneration special “The Power of the Doctor” was—for me, at least—totally unexpected, and so all the more enjoyable.   It is not often that I see something on the TV screen that makes me stand up and cheer, but this did.   Tennant’s return promises to shine a little light into what has been for many of us a rather dreary decade.   Welcome back, Mr. Tennant.             Now, mind: I am not trying to be critical of Jodie Whitaker, who did a fine job during her time as the Doctor; but, as a Shakespeare fan, if for no other reason, I have a particular soft spot for David Tennant.   All we need now is an appearance by Sir Patrick Stewart on the show, if he’s not too busy. ...

              Rational thought, it has been said, is an acquired taste.   And where, one might ask, is one to go to acquire such a taste?   Well, the logical answer to that question is: one goes to the logical to acquire logic—and who is more logical than Mr. Spock himself?   But how does one learn from a fictional character?   Again, the answer is simple: listen to what he says.             But before we go to our teacher to learn how to be logical, we should ask, what is logic?   Well, logical or rational thinking is simply thinking clearly.   Speaking the truth, said Aristotle, means saying of what is, that it is, and of what is not, that it is not [1] —matching our words to reality.   Logical thought—which also benefitted a great deal from Aristotle—is simply thought which seeks to find “what is” and match our thoughts and our words ...

Thoughts on Being a Companion to Saviors, Sociopaths, and Space/Time-Traveling Madmen-with-Boxes  This one is for the ones who know all the words:             Sometimes, I feel a lot like John Watson.             Now, mind: I have never been to Afghanistan, nor Iraq neither; I am not a medical doctor, nor any other kind of doctor.               No, I often feel like John Watson because I am a Christian, a follower of God.             And trying to follow God is often a lot like living with Sherlock Holmes.               Yes, God is very similar to Sherlock: he ignores me (or appears to) when I try to talk to him, then he prattles on about things I don’t understand while I am trying t...

If you didn’t see this coming, you should   have: it has been announced that the next person to play the Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who will be a woman.   As the show’s makers have insisted, the cries of outrage probably have been greatly exaggerated, since narrow-mindedness is not a thing whovians are known for.   More importantly, this turn of events should not have surprised fans of the show at all.   Indeed, the show seems to have been preparing us for this eventuality for quite some time.             It all begins, oddly enough, not with a chair (that was Juno ), but with Matt Smith’s hair.   When (in “The End of Time”) David Tennant regenerates into Matt Smith, the Doctor immediately begins inspecting his new body.   When he gets to his hair, this is his reaction:       “Hair.   [feels his hair, which is slightly long]   I’m a girl!   No! ...