Yuval says that the future is not deterministic, but depends on the decisions we make. At the same time, he says there is no free will, which means that whatever decisions we make are determined by our personal history. If … [Read more...]
Determinism in Daily Life
Determinism is the understanding that everything that is, is the result of everything that came before, and that includes you and me and everything about us. There is no free will. If you don’t believe that, then there … [Read more...]
Review of Daniel Dennett’s Elbow Room
(I wrote this review in 2010, but never got around to posting it here. He published a more recent edition in 2015 that I may review at some point; there were many issues I didn't get to in this one.) This book reminds me … [Read more...]
Yun-Men’s Dried Shitstick
When Yun-Men said that the Buddha was a dried shitstick, he may not have had the same intent as the movie makers who exploit the “yuk factor,” described in this New York Times article, but from a certain perspective they have … [Read more...]
Meditation, Smiling, Mood Control, and Relationships
My wife, Eve, has been staying with me for three weeks, and will be here through the month of November. Those of you who’ve been keeping track will know that we haven’t lived together for three years, although we’re best … [Read more...]
Lucid Dreaming, Videogames, Books, Movies, Everyday Life—The Reality of Reality
Lucid dreaming versus normal dreaming versus everyday reality: Tom Clark has an excellent article on this subject, which I just got around to reading, and it reminded me of a TED talk by David Perry, “Will Videogames Become … [Read more...]
War, Financial Crisis, “Religulous,” Buddhism, Kipling, Naturalism, and Identity—Fantasy Versus Reality
“If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied.” That’s from Rudyard Kipling’s poem about the first world war, quoted by Roger Cohen in a great column in today’s New York Times. If you look at how we got … [Read more...]
Eve Ensler, Sex, Compulsion, and Freedom
I wrote about Eve Ensler, author and performer of “The Vagina Monologues,” and a talk of hers, “Finding Happiness in Body and Soul,” on TED in an earlier post. Another of her talks, “Security and Insecurity,” was recently … [Read more...]
As Good As It Gets
“This is as good as it gets.” That was the thought that occurred to me as I was settling into the recliner for a nap, and it gave me a huge laugh. I’m going to explain the cause for laughter Southern style, but if you get … [Read more...]
Is Your Self a Thing or a Process?
What is your self, really, in essence? That’s a question that Socrates or Plato would ask, and actually, that kind of question goes back as far as the Upanishads, perhaps earlier—we don’t have any written record much earlier … [Read more...]
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