The notion of free will that is being "targeted" in these interpretations of neuroscience is not one I would consider to be a viable concept of free will anyway. And I suspect that no philosophers who think about free will would ever accord with that simplistic notion of free will. So the whole thing as it is…

There are many problems with this idea that neuroscience can prove that we don't have free will based on this kind of research.

Causality is just what society wants us to believe...man....

I think it's partly due to the feeling that we knew of a set of planetary conditions under which organic molecules would spontaneously form. There has also been the speculation that the earth was seeded with some organic molecules from meteors. Finally, there's the probabilistic argument, that of all the planets in…

Regarding your second point, I got a similar sense — that the Doctor was sort of teaching Rory how to make a decision to save one or the other version of Amy. It seems relevant to the matter of whether they can save the Doctor from getting killed, and the fact that there is an older and a younger version of him as…

This model of television — that is, a set number of episodes intended to tell one coherent story arc — is unusual for the U.S. It's pretty much restricted to premium cable channels and the six-hour TV miniseries (with commercials). I think, compared to the bar that is set by HBO's The Wire, for instance, this season…

I think — perhaps kind of like what CJ indicated in her review and comment response — that the Blessing is just a magical plot device, as well as the "morphic field" idea that was set up in the very first episode. Either there is or there is not something unusual about Jack's blood — that was never clarified. …

There's a bit of a reference to adoption in this episode. The event that causes George's fears to escalate is overhearing his parents discuss not being able to keep him. The perception filter plays the role of the unconscious, in a way. Even though no one remembers that George isn't really the parents' biological…

Yeah, I wouldn't have pegged him as America's Sweetheart either. I'm sure RTD was thinking of Pullman in Independence Day — i.e., as a well-known actor in the sci-fi genre. And that certainly has been his biggest mainstream role. Still, Danes is a great role for Pullman — it allows him to show off his talents.

I really enjoyed seeing Q, more than I expected. I agree — someone should put him in an ensemble cast for a show about the CIA.

Among other things one could say about Danes, he's set up to be the anti-Jack Harkness. Jack is a usually immortal character who is now mortal but wants to keep living. Danes is a usually mortal person who is now immortal but can't tolerate living. Both have killed a child — Jack his own grandson, Danes a random…

The last episode really highlights how much this season was written for people in the U.S. who are unfamiliar with the series. For people who know the series, this episode was like the old Torchwood. For new viewers, it looks like a standard flashback episode, and possibly one that comes out of left field.

I think that Riddick is the direct manifestation of Vin Diesel's inner D&D nerd, whereas Fast and Furious is the representation of what society expects Vin Diesel to do.

I took the whole money issue to be more of a probe to determine fan interest in a third installment. Riddick is the best thing Vin Diesel has going for himself, and he's not getting any younger. If he's going to do something out of his personal investment, he at least wants people to see it. There's also the video…

Star Trek 2 is the Godfather 2 of Star Trek movie reboots.

I think this is a manifestation of the series struggling a bit to get another season. During the second half of the last season, it seemed like we were hearing quite a lot from the producers, and there were some details that were never followed up — like the guy in the dirigible from Olivia's subconscious world who…

I don't remember actually seeing Three's a Crowd, but I think I caught some of The Ropers. Ha.

They're saying now that Peter was never cured of his disease and died in childhood. But that still doesn't give us a clue as to how Joshua Jackson gets worked back into the show.