Lucid

A soft breeze skimmed across the open field and brushed the man’s skin. Mosquitos and other insects took advantage of the isolated man standing alone in the middle of the field. He offered no reaction to the wind or the insects that now occupied much of his exposed skin. He was rigid and staring at...

Short Story: Abolition

The breeze drifted through the silent night. The woman walked home as it past from behind her and carried on to the oaks that lined both sides of her street. The oaks touched high above, forming a giant tunnel, one which even streetlights found difficult to penetrate. Although the breeze disturbed the woman’s clothing, the...

You Do Not Know When You Are Biased

It is very difficult for us to tell when we are likely to favour one way of looking at things or when we favour one type of information over another. For example, take the fact that many people have similarly described spiritual experiences regardless of their religion. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and even Atheists alike have...

On Suicide and Religion

The first time I thought about killing myself I was eight years old. We were at a small church gathering and the topic was Hell. It’s hard to remember clearly but I do remember two things: crippling fear and a conversation with a preacher. While my mother was talking with the preacher she held my...

You Should Be Able To Say Why You Believe What You Believe

Several times a day, usually every day, we state our beliefs about the world to other people. It could be small things like, “My work sucks/is awesome” or “Pewdiepie is the best YouTuber”, or perhaps bigger things like, “We should all have freedom of speech” or “I like/dislike what the current government is doing with...

Everyone Is Playing The Same Game of Make-Believe

We are all playing the same game of make believe. We are expected to, and expect others, to act in accordance with the societal norms. But these norms are fixed relatively. Anyone who has been to other countries knows that, in general, they will have a very different experience in Mexico than in Japan. Going...

We Dislike What We Don’t Understand

Personal preference is a part of what makes us all unique. We all have different likes and dislikes. But could we dislike things simply because we don’t understand them?The philosopher John Stuart Mill theorises that if one has experienced both higher and lower pleasures then they will always choose the higher pleasure. One would always...

The Problem of Knowledge

When we have a comprehensive understanding of a topic we often think that we would also be the best person to teach that topic. If you know a lot about physical training and diet then your friends might ask you frequently how to get fit or lose weight. Whatever your job is, people will ask...

The Problem of Consensus

Having a very strong opinion about something while having people agree with you is intoxicating and a lot of motivation and energy can be derived from this experience. But having people agree with you does not make you right. There are many preachers that think evolution is a hoax and have large congregations of followers...

Excuses to Avoid Criticism

Criticism is one of the best ways to validate our ideas. In order for us to truly develop an idea to it’s logical conclusion we must expose that idea to criticism and even argument. But most of us have many ways we avoid sharing a dialog over our ideas. The most common things we say...