Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
by Greg Mayer Peyton, the Philosophical (or Philosophickal) Cat died Wednesday. She was 14-15 years old. Peyton was familiar to WEIT readers, making her first appearance early in WEIT’s history, and her last (save this one) was last Christmas. Peyton had been ill for about a year. The first sign was a behavioral issue—urinating outside … Continue reading Peyton, the Philosophical Cat, ca. 2006-2020
by Greg Mayer Peyton, the Philosophical Cat, is not much moved by the holidays, except that, with someone at home during the day more frequently, she’ll be able to have her midday treat more often—her choice between salmon snacks or a paté. Unusually, she’s not taken to sleeping under the tree this year, but she … Continue reading Christmas kitties
Well, we got a veritable clowder of cat photos yesterday as well as quite a few non-cat photos—all with a holiday theme. I present them proudly as our Official Christmas Post. Readers’ captions are indented, and thanks to all the readers who participated. Click on the photos to enlarge them. First is our own Matthew … Continue reading Readers’ Christmas photos
by Grania While Jerry is gallivanting around I’m in charge of putting up the Hili Dialogues. Good morning from a dark and gloomy Ireland where it is actually trying to snow again. There is sad news this morning: scientist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76, which is a respectable age for any human … Continue reading Wednesday: Hili dialogue
by Greg Mayer I had not realized that yesterday was National Cat Day, but, alerted to the fact by Jerry, and following his advice that “treats and catnip are even better”, I was able to arrange an impromptu celebration with Peyton, the Philosophical Cat. Fortunately, we had just harvested the catnip crop a week earlier, … Continue reading Peyton’s National Cat Day
by Greg Mayer Peyton is a WEIT blog regular, who last appeared here in a post by Jerry. This is a picture of her taken by Jerry while visiting me in September. I put up a copy of this photo recently in Jerry’s lab, joining an illustrious group of cats that grace the wall outside … Continue reading Caturday felid: the philosophical cat
When I visited Greg Mayer last week, he explained that his cat Peyton was a “philosophical cat.” I naturally asked why, and Greg explained: Cats are realists One of the oldest philosophical debates is between realism and idealism. Both come in several flavors, but the basic difference is between their views of the external world: … Continue reading Caturday felid: kittehs and epistemology
by Greg Mayer The best kitteh ever is, of course, Peyton, the philosophical cat, who has previously contributed to our discussions here at WEIT on morality, ethics, and epistemology. But, as a semi-regular contributor, she is ineligible for the Kitteh Contest, so readers should submit their nominees to Jerry by 5 PM December 1. Here … Continue reading Best kitteh ever
