I could agonize for hours about what brilliant insight or witticism to use for my “first post” but you wouldn’t be impressed if I tried too hard. So I won’t.
I’ve always loved the latin phrase “coram publico”, which means “in full view of the public”. I’ve chosen it as the name for this new blog because I believe we would all benefit if we shared more of our thinking and deliberation in public, with our friends, acquaintances and even strangers.
Without the church, the pub or the market serving as a mixing pot of ideas and opinions, we seem to me to have become a society of polarized points-of-view, often without any obvious ways to bridge the gaps between believers and non-believers, conservatives and liberals, or rationalists and empiricists. We seek out confirming facts while ignoring ones that contradict us; when we surround ourselves with those who agree with us, we are all poorer for it.
Since my waistline can’t afford to go regularly to the pub for these discussions, this’ll have to do. (Still, grab a beer or pour a dram if so interested.)
Let the discussion “coram publico” begin.
