A study of the creative spirit and its effects on science, religion and philosophy.
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Determinism vs. Free Will
Published on 2012-02-13 16:03:00
The discussion of determinism vs. free will has been going on since the days of the Greek philosophers, and will probably never be settled. Is it possible that both views are correct? How could that be true? Before I get into the various arguments, I want to set up the following assumptions: (a) There is a one-to-one correspondence between the state of the brain and the subjective experience occurring at any given time (b) Since the brain is not an isolated syst
It's Gotta Be This Or That – Or Does It?
Published on 2012-02-06 14:34:00
One of the oldest truisms(?) about old age is, “Old age is the time when your broad mind and narrow waist change places.” While it may be true in some cases, for me it's more like, “Old age is the time when your broad mind and narrow waist get closer together.” My problem is that the older I get, the more I can see both sides of many controversies; as a result, I have trouble deciding which side I agree with. Two examples from this past
A Healthy Economy
Published on 2012-01-31 15:54:00
The ideas presented here are excerpted from the book, “The Price Of Civilization” by Jeffrey D. Sachs. I highly recommend reading the entire book. Not surprisingly, President Obama's recent State of the Union Address was his opening shot across the bow of the presidential campaign, but if examined from a high enough level of abstraction, it spelled out the requirements of a healthy economic system. I hate to think the whole thing was
Forget Foreign Affairs
Published on 2012-01-21 13:52:00
The Associated Press recently printed an article entitled “Positions of the Candidates”, which outlined the opinions of five Emmett Kelly understudies, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, on various campaign issues. (For younger readers, Emmett Kelly, who based his sad faced “Weary Willie” on depression era hobos, was perhaps the most famous clown in circus history.) The issues discussed were Abortion, the Economy, Ed
Corporate Influence On Elections
Published on 2012-01-17 15:53:00
On October 24, 2011, I wrote about the ridiculous decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, “In January 2010, using a logic that defied common sense, in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission five Supreme Court Justices suddenly transformed corporations into human beings, with a power that flesh and blood humans do not have: they can spend unlimited amounts of money in order to buy elections.”
Suppose The Mayans Got It Right
Published on 2012-01-05 15:45:00
Let's imagine for a minute that scientists discovered that the Mayans got it right – the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. How would you want to spend your time until that day? The answers would probably run the gamut from “party unceasingly” to “pray unceasingly.” As for me, I would probably come down somewhere in the middle. I am pretty happy with the way things are now, and I would want to continue as is with one addition:
Things It Would Be Nice To See In 2012
Published on 2012-01-03 15:48:00
Although 2011 was not a very good year for planet earth, at least for the humans living there, if I am going to be truthful, it was an average year for me personally. Except for climbing stairs, or even walking uphill, I do not think my physical condition is much worse than it was a year ago. (Of course, it's definitely not any better.) But I have been warm and well fed, and the fun times have outnumbered the other kind many times over. But as with most old accountants, in order to keep from los
A National New Year's Resolution
Published on 2011-12-23 14:54:00
We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure the domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.Preamble to the Constitution of the United States While we as a nation have never completely achieved the high ideals outlined in the Constitution, we have got ever cl
Executive Salaries.
Published on 2011-12-08 11:33:00
Much heat has been generated on the subject of the huge salaries received by the CEOs of major corporations. One popular method of illustrating the obscenity is by showing the CEO's salary as a multiple of a typical production worker's salary. It is not unusual for the CEO's salary to be equal to 300, 400 or even 600 times the hourly workers income. The following table is a listing of the 2010 salary and other income paid to the heads of several
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays
Published on 2011-12-05 16:04:00
Meaning (më‛ning), n. what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated. (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary). At this season a large number of letter-writers to the editor of any newspaper express concern over the use of the term “Happy Holidays” instead of the traditional “Merry Christmas.” The writers feel that the holiday is somehow demeaned by the former greeting. The meaning of any expression is what the speaker intends it to be – nothing more, nothing