Romanticization
Romanticization provides an ideal, but misleading, view of the world. Unfortunately, we see not simply a romantic notion, but a dangerous human illusion.
Wisdom
Outrageous Lebanese Genetics
Lebanese Genetics sounds boring, but the Lebanese may be the most stereotypical ethnic group around, an inheritance from the Phoenicians.
The Deadly Game of Hawk-Dove
In hawk-dove, we are presented with a disturbing situation. We ask, Who is better, hawks or doves, war mongers or peace makers? Who ultimately wins? And the analysis is disturbing: neither does, because both do.
The Deep (White) State
Trump is right: a deep state exists within the US government. But it is a deep white state. This informal apparatus is neither liberal nor conservative, but impartial, and regulative.
Return of the Bookscrounger
I’m back. Where I’ve been, and where we’re going.
Reinventing Wheels
‘No need to reinvent the wheel.’ That was fine for the past. But accelerating progress makes reinventing wheels an absolute imperative.
Morality as Survival
We tell ourselves, and others, one reason for why we do things, but our choices often betray other, more convincing reasons. Sometimes the secondary reason helps us see morality as survival. This is a serialization from my book, Happiness: A Physician/Biologist Looks at Life. To see the Table of Contents and the dust jacket blurb, … [Read more…]
From Ailes to Trump
The problem with anger-mongering is that it doesn’t stop without catastrophe. Roger Ailes got the boilers going, but Donald Trump hijacked the train.
War on Women, War on Children
The hard right has been waging a War on Women, and their freedoms. It appears they are also waging a War on Children, and their intellectual freedoms.
Comfortable Illusions
So we slog around in our lives, wading through the muck and grime, fighting against the people around us and fighting against ourselves; but sure that we are on the right path, confident that the way will become smooth just around the next corner. What we don’t notice is that every rat in the race is in the same mud-rut we are, some ahead of us, some behind, but in a rut nevertheless. We never notice that none of them have turned the corner, either.