Reality can seem so harsh and unfair sometimes. There is so much left up to chance: that freak injury during the big game; that seemingly arbitrary promotion of someone else over you. I get that it can be hard to keep yourself sane and together. However, there is great news: modern knoweldge and wisdom from science and philosophy have pretty muc...
Read MoreYou might not have chosen to be born, but you're surprisingly better off acting as if you had. You know the scenario: a parent and child get into an argument. There's usually some sort of pressure on the child to behave in some way or meet some set of expectations that results in the now-cliché response, "I didn't choose to be born!" What is caus...
Read MoreSigns. They’re indicators that you should make a decision or take an action in life. There are real, tangible signals in life like your emotions. Your emotions are giving you critical feedback as to your current state of growth or harm. If you’re happy, you’re healthy and growing; if you’re afraid, there is a danger to your health and safety.
Read MoreCognitive dissonance occurs when there is a conflict between a belief you hold and a behavior, new information, or a conflicting belief. The "dissonance" in this case causes discomfort, necessitating a change in the person's behavior or beliefs to alleviate it. The most famous example in history is the Aesop fable of Sour Grapes. In the fable, a...
Read MoreThis post is intentionally luring you in as the seeming beginning of a rant about how the world is one way but people refuse to accept it. On the contrary, however, seeing what you want to see is actually one of the keys to life and the secrets to happiness and success. To use it as a derogatory comment is pretty ironic in the grand scheme of thi...
Read MoreLife is getting more grim, right? Climate change, fascism, a global pandemic, social unrest, terrorism, potential wars of the cold, nuclear, and civil kind, flattening of lifespans and homeownership levels…it seems like every day there is a reason to be pessimistic. But of course that’s absolutely absurd to think that’s an objective assessment....
Read MoreLaw of Attraction, or self-fulfilling prophecy? The power of faith, or the Placebo effect? Science and spirituality make different arguments for the cause and effect happening between human thoughts and behaviors and the outcomes that they see. What is really going on here, and (why) does it matter? Let’s explore.
Read MoreThis seems like it should be the shortest blog post ever: “Should you believe what’s true or what benefits you? What’s true, of course! What a stupid question!” Okay, well what if someone just had the greatest failure or disaster of their lives and the truth is that their life will never be the same again? What if their dog, friend, or family me...
Read MoreAs I spoke about two weeks ago in my post, Conflating Science and Ethics, people like to find ways to conflate concepts so they can either get others to agree/comply with them or avoid having to put up an actual compelling, convincing argument for their position. After all, you can argue with an opinion and weigh facts differently, but you can’t a...
Read MoreScience is an amazing field that allows us to test the nature of our reality and determine how the world works and what is true about the physical universe. Ethics are a wonderful concept that allows humans to live together in peace and cooperate with one another for greater growth. However, there seems to be a dreadful trend of conflating scienc...
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