Roger Ebert is famously quoted as saying, “Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.” This is an important point about feelings because your emotions are giving you critical feedback about three things: your experiences (e.g., “AHHHH!!! I’m on fire!”), your desires (e.g., “I really could go for a cheeseburger right...
Read MoreEveryone dreams of getting recognized for what they’ve done or the kind of person they are. Many people throughout history inspire people today for all that they’ve done for humanity. However, there is one depressing reality about many of those people who are revered for their accomplishments: so many of them never achieved even remotely the leve...
Read MoreWould you rather be safe or free? Obviously, people want to say both, as many people use “free” and “safe” interchangeably when, for example, they claim that they want to be “free to go outside” during a pandemic or when a criminal is on the loose when they really want to be safe when they go outside. But freedom and safety are opposing goals mos...
Read MoreHumans have advanced cognitive abilities that allow them to think about themselves and the world around them. That gives them greater survival capabilities, but it also allows them to wallow in despair. The question is, what causes the latter to occur? In other words, why are you questioning your existence?
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 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...
Read More"You have to face reality." "They live in their own reality." "I reject your reality and substitute my own." Reality...We talk a lot about what's real vs. not, but what is it? What is real, and do you really have to face it? We're going to analyze this logically and, surprisingly, find that you actually do create your own reality—not in a meta...
Read MoreSimilar to last week's post on objective morality (or the lack thereof), this post is focusing on the lack of a definitive "Why" in terms of life origin (i.e., the cause) or end state (i.e., goal/objective). I have to say, nihilism seems to be a popular conclusion when people can't get a definitive answer. I always chalk it up to people being rai...
Read MoreLife can be very difficult to understand or figure out. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does evil exist? What is the right thing to do in no-win situations? Questions like these can eat up your time in deep philosophical thought trying to find the best way to either live optimally or understand why the world works the way it does.
Read MoreNote: I intentionally use contentious issues in this post to dial up your emotional state so you can feel the pull yourself that people get to change others' beliefs. I made sure to include both sides of issues so as to not inject my own views or influence anyone's beliefs but also to ensure that I triggered the emotional response of seeing a pers...
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