3.8 Billion Years
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Black Swan Events
For centuries, swans were white. The idea that swans could possibly come in another color has a long history and, I think, an appealing relevance to daily life. For the Romans, a “black swan” was a synonym for an impossibility.… Continue reading
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What Is the “Nature” In Naturalism?
Religious or spiritual naturalism (I’ll use spiritual for both here) is a subject dear to my heart. But sometimes I wonder about what exactly we have in mind when we use the word nature. In what I read and even in what… Continue reading
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Five Things I Expect My Core Belief To Do For Me
I want a core belief that does the following things for me. It should help me feel a little less terrified of death. It should point me towards a meaningful purpose in living. It should clarify the foundations of right… Continue reading
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My Genome and Me
Recently I sent the National Geographic genome project a sample of my DNA on two Q-tips swabbed inside my mouth. The information I received back described the whereabouts of my ancestors over the last 50,000 years or so. I’d known bits… Continue reading
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No Pain, No Sympathy
Which living things merit our sympathy? Our pets? Certainly. What about human embryos? And plants? Is it consciousness or complexity or being human or the capacity for pain that makes an individual life worth our empathy? The debate over animal… Continue reading
Lives on Earth 