Positive self-regard is the foundation of health. Without a basic sense that life is worthwhile, that a person is deserving of life, a patient cannot be trusted to take their medication, or to be dutiful in their annual check-ups, or to be attentive to their physical symptoms. If health is defined as the unaffected maintenence… Continue reading 02/06 Journal Entry
Category: Articles
02/02 Journal Entry
The key to creative success is not an ironclad spirit, or the brutish strength of a well-trained will, but only and very simply, an intense aversion to boredom. To be bored is to open oneself up to a world of possibilities, to let the spotlight of spontaneous interest hover over the contents of a boundless… Continue reading 02/02 Journal Entry
Sufism: the God of the mystics
Mystical belief Kabbalah. Gnosticism. Sufism. These are all disciplines which are known as the 'mystical' sects of their religions. What does it mean for a set of beliefs to be 'mystical'? In one sense, these beliefs are religious in the typical way: they posit the existence of God, they make a distinction between the sacred… Continue reading Sufism: the God of the mystics
The unique challenge of being a woman president
When it comes to gender and presidential candidates, my position is simple: genitalia should be a minor factor at best. In an ideal world, people would create the necessary distinction between gender and competency, judging a man and a woman’s merits equally. But for many Americans, part of a woman candidate’s appeal is precisely her genitalia. They… Continue reading The unique challenge of being a woman president
The soul in Plato’s Phaedo and in the Quran
The Phaedo is the most famous curtain call in all of philosophy. It documents the final days of Socrates' life, spent in rigorous dialogues with his friends and fellow thinkers. It is a testament to his own conviction that the contemplative life, dedicated to the pursuit of truth, is the highest good—even in the face… Continue reading The soul in Plato’s Phaedo and in the Quran
Privilege, power, and Steven Crowder’s ‘Change my mind’ segment
What does it mean to be privileged? This question has dominated American politics. Democrats call for higher taxes on the basis that the rich should pay their fair share — a measure they hope will even out the gap between the "haves and the have-nots". And for young liberals particularly, rallying against privilege in all… Continue reading Privilege, power, and Steven Crowder’s ‘Change my mind’ segment
God as particular form
The distinction between the human and the divine is fundamental to religion. In the Abrahamic tradition, man is fashioned from clay and infused with the breath of divine spirit. In ancient Chinese mythology, heaven and earth once intermixed: it took the work of the mother-goddess Nüwa to repair the cosmos and provide a stable inhabitance… Continue reading God as particular form
The rise of soft-supremacy on the political right
After Steve King's horribly-phrased remarks on white supremacy, an overwhelming majority of conservatives have come out against him. He was promptly removed from his assignments, and the House of Representatives even passed a resolution disavowing his comments. But this incident has raised an important question: how complicit are fundamental conservative talking points in the phenomenon… Continue reading The rise of soft-supremacy on the political right
Ibn Arabi on free will
The source: Futuhat al-Makkiyah Sufi scholar and mystic Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi's life can be divided into two eras; the first spent in his birthplace Andalusia, and the second spent traveling around the East. His major work Futuhat al-Makkiyah, or the Meccan revelations, is a culmination of thought influenced by his Eastern tour, where he performed the Islamic pilgrimage… Continue reading Ibn Arabi on free will
The rise of truthiness on the political left
In a now-infamous moment on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert coined the term 'truthiness' to describe what he perceived as gut-level appeals to intuitions on the political right, especially with regards to President Bush's rhetoric surrounding the Iraq invasion. More than a decade later, it's the left that has entrenched itself thoroughly in the realm of truthiness.… Continue reading The rise of truthiness on the political left
Prophemy 