Madsen Pirie

I couldn’t resist this fleece.  It’s winter and I need something warm and light, plus it’s in my colours (blue/grey).  It’s the name, though: Empirik.  That’s close enough to “M Pirie” to be amusing, but it’s also close to “empirical,” which describes my way of thinking.  I sometimes joke to student debate audiences that the philosophy of empiricism was named after me (M-Piricism), but the honour belongs in reality to Sextus Empiricus.(160-210 AD).  I featured him in my “101 Great Philosophers”, pointing out that he was actually more of a skeptic than an empiricist, arguing against certain knowledge of truth or falsity.  The fleece also makes a passing nod to contingency, in that the collar contains a concealed hood that can be deployed to cope with unanticipated hail, sleet or snow.  It will be a regular companion this winter.

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