Published in The Philosophy Hub·2 days agoMember-onlyHow Could I Not Exist?Ego, the will to live, and the fear of death — Fifty years have gone by since that cold December morning when I plotted my own murder. One could say that I was contemplating suicide at the time, but it was much more than that. I had a plan — a foolproof plan — to kill myself. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending…Philosophy6 min readPhilosophy6 min read
Mar 17Member-onlyAn Inordinate Faith in ToolsThe rise and fall of Homo faber — Without technology, we are only frustrated monkeys staring at earthen mounds, unable to extract termites from them. …Nature5 min readNature5 min read
Feb 24Member-onlyThe Devil Is Out To Get YouGood, evil, and the ultimate misdirection Philosophers and theologians alike have been scratching their heads for thousands of years over the problem of evil. If the natural world is inherently good, as is the Supreme Being that created it, then how did evil come to be? That human beings are…Philosophy6 min readPhilosophy6 min read
Feb 10Member-onlyPermutations of the UnknownAn excursion into the nature of Nature Itself — When it comes to nature, what are the possibilities? Does it follow a single, inevitable path through space-time, or are there an infinite number of ways for the universe to be organized? Worldviews differ regarding this: one way, many ways, and various interpretations of the two. We use the words…Nature7 min readNature7 min read
Published in The Philosophy Hub·Jan 20Member-onlyWhat Is Worth Doing?The most important question we can ask ourselves All philosophy and religion, all value systems, every guide to living comes down to this: What is worth doing? The answer to this question is what gets us out of bed in the morning. If we conclude while lying there that nothing…Philosophy5 min readPhilosophy5 min read
Jan 8Go For A Thought Drive511Adesh AcharyaA thought drive — what a magnificent metaphor for opening the mind!A thought drive — what a magnificent metaphor for opening the mind!1 min read1 min read
Jan 5Member-onlyA Lost Affinity RegainedLove, being human, and our relationship to the natural world — On a calm, overcast day thirty years ago, I emerged from the Alaskan wilderness happy to be alive yet apprehensive about going back to the developed places. I had only been in the bush a litte over two weeks. …Nature7 min readNature7 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Dec 10, 2022Member-onlyGlobal DysfunctionWhy can’t humankind get its act together? — The human condition is hopeless, or so it seems. A long, hard look at how the world functions these days and all prospects of humanity living in peace and prosperity suddenly evaporate. The daily news is full of conflict, corruption, and chaos. One group of people is always benefitting at…Philosophy6 min readPhilosophy6 min read
Nov 23, 2022How Physical Objects Submit to the Apparent Miracle of Human Consciousness2507Benjamin CainAn interesting meditation on consciousness and objectification, but your take on nature is off the…An interesting meditation on consciousness and objectification, but your take on nature is off the mark, I think. You say "the universe doesn't care how we live," but that's presumptuous. We don't know if the universe (i.e. nature as a whole) cares or doesn't care. We don't know what the universe is thinking –– assuming, of course, that the universe has some kind of consciousness to it. We simply don't know.1 min read1 min read
Published in The Philosophy Hub·Nov 23, 2022Member-onlyBeyond Reason or BeliefTaking an entirely different approach to what is real — We are flawed in our perception of reality — all of us, all the time. Secular thinkers and true believers alike, we muddle through life, pretending that we have a good bead on things. But we do not. The few truly humble people among us know this and accept it…Philosophy6 min readPhilosophy6 min read
