Almost all respondents on social media were enthusiastic about banning the garb at left. Two points: 1) I’m thrilled to live in a country that protects its people’s freedom of expression. As an older American, I’m not crazy about massive …
Category: Sustainability
Missouri and the Ten Commandments
There are several reasons that this is a bad idea for schoolchildren, or anyone, really. It imposes a religion, as prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. It acts against the clearly expressed wishes of the Founding Fathers, whom Americans respect, if …
We Ruin Things
To the reader who sent me this meme, I ask, with all due respect: Are you serious? When we re-elected Trump, we chose to receive a masterclass in ruining things — in the most clearly absurd conceivable manner. This is …
Defining “Woke”
I like what the lawyer said here, though I would argue that the concept goes even further: • All of Earth’s people need to be treated fairly and equally. We have people worth hundreds of billions of dollars, living on …
Tagged with: 1.5 billion people can't a clean glass of water to drink, all of Earth's people need to treated fairly and equally, Big Oil should be prohibited from using our atmosphere as their own private sewer, corporations should not be able to buy favorable lawmaking, Defining "Woke", public education should be supported, science should form the underpinning of all government policy, the death penalty is not a part of a civilized society, the United States has no more right to wage an aggressive war against Venezuela than Russia has a right to invade Ukraine
It’s True that Philosophy Never Gets Outdated, But . . .
The problem facing traditional Western philosophy is that science has usurped so much of its turf over the past 100-or-so years, and this can only accelerate from here. Why is the universe here? How did it begin? What are its …
It’s True that Philosophy Never Gets Outdated, But . . . Read More »
Tagged with: cosmologists and particle physicists, How does the mind work?, there are still tens of millions of Americans who believe that Donald Trump is a good honest person, Western philosophy, What are the ultimate building blocks of the universe?, What is consciousness, Why is the universe here?
Is the Earth Trying to Get Rid of Us?
This line from Kurt Vonnegut calls to mind what George Carlin said about the Earth’s expelling the human race. On two different occasions he used the following similes as to what the planet is doing: Shaking us off, like a …
Disturb the World Around You
The website A Word a Day features “A Thought for Today,” normally from a notable author born on this date. Here’s one from writer Ann Patchett (pictured), born 2 Dec 1963: The question is whether or not you choose to …
The Evolution of God
In an earlier post I wrote: Monotheistic religion is built around fear. There is no other reason to believe that an omnipotent being is tuned into everything you think and do, and, if He doesn’t like what He sees, He’ll …
Tagged with: An Incredible Author's View of God
An Incredible Author’s View of God
What American writer Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time) said at left rings true to most educated people around the world. Monotheistic religion is built around fear. There is no other reason to believe that an omnipotent being is tuned …
Tagged with: An Incredible Author's View of God
Learning from Schopenhauer
19th Century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer certainly never won the “Mr. Popularity” prize for his dismal perspectives on human life. He’s probably best known for his views that intelligent people can never be happy, and that, in fact, the smarter …
