Just Stuff
Today’s earthquake got me thinking. If a really bad quake hit, and the house got knocked down, or all the stuff in it got burned up, what would my reaction be? I’d be bummed, of course. But assuming that The… Continue Reading
Philosophy
Powerful Object Lesson
If you’re like a lot of Americans, you have a lot of of stuff. Stuff you spent a lot of money to acquire. Stuff you use only rarely, if ever. Stuff you probably don’t even t look at all that… Continue Reading
Seven To One
I went to Barnes & Noble at lunch today. I was looking for a history book to complement my CD lecture series about the history of the Viking people and I think I found a decent book for that purpose.… Continue Reading
Do Your Enemies Make You Happy?
The Economist reports on recently-published polimetric research to the effect that Americans who self-identify as “conservative” also self-identify as “happy” more often than do those who self-identify as “liberal.” He attributes this to the fact that these people are more… Continue Reading
Have You Ever Really Changed Your Mind?
These people have, just in this last year. And it’s most interesting to read about what they’ve changed their minds about, and why. It’s heavy on the psychology and neuroscience, but then again, learning about how we learn is itself… Continue Reading
A Challenge: Define "A"
Wit and wisdom from Indexed.
Stem Cell Breakthrough
I’m as happy as anyone that scientists have found a way to create human stem cells from adult skin, and that now research on stem cells can progress without having to destroy embryos. But that doesn’t mean that the past… Continue Reading
Prayer, Stoicism, Moral Duties, and Happiness
Deus, dona mihi serenitatem accipere res quae non possum mutare, fortitudinem mutare res quae possum, atque sapientiam differentiam cognoscere In English, this means “God, give me the grace to accept with serenity that which cannot be changed, courage to change… Continue Reading
Skeptical Audiophile Challenge
Skeptics are sometimes accused of being too critical of religion and not critical of other things. Not true — skeptics have been in the forefront of efforts to debunk multi-level marketing and other fraudulent advertising, junk science, phony psychics, and… Continue Reading
It Really All Comes Down To This
You can see more cartoons like this here.