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In Search of Mutants and Mystics
I came of age in the early 1980s, so for me, like many in my generation, the Star Wars trilogy represented something more than a great series of movies. It was an archetypal drama, a modern...
The Election, the Republican Party and Twilight of Traditionalism
It has been almost two weeks since an important US presidential election, and there is a lot to reflect on. Some are talking about an historic change in the American electorate. Some are speaking of...
From Here to Infinity: A Scientific Elder Weighs In
Since my blog is in the midst of a science theme right now, particularly with the posting of a review of Rupert Sheldrake’s new book recently, this week I decided to keep on the same subject. So...
A Skeptic in the Heart of Science
What would you conclude about a book named “The Science Delusion”? I suspect most would assume it was 1) a response to Richard Dawkins’ book, “The God Delusion” and 2) a religious attack on science....
EVOLUTIONARIES is on sale!
EVOLUTIONARIES went on sale this week! You can order it here. We launched the book with a wonderful party Tuesday night in New York City—great to share this moment with so many good friends and...
What Does it Mean to Be Authentic?
One of the most interesting thinkers today regarding the nature of the self in relationship to our heavily mediated world is Thomas de Zengotita. He is a fascinating observer of how the evolution of...
Is Free Will a Delusion? An Evening with David Eagleman
Does neuroscience prove that there is no free will? This is one of the biggest questions on the lips of the intelligentsia these days. Do we have influence over the events of our lives? Can we...
The New Frontier of Being Human
What does it mean to be human? That was the theme of San Francisco’s aptly named “Being Human” conference, held at the Palace of Fine Arts the last weekend in March. Convened by the Baumann...
Seeing with Evolutionary Eyes
Every day, it seems, I read articles detailing new insights and breakthroughs that tell us more about human nature. Our knowledge is expanding and complexifying in extraordinary ways. It’s always a...
A Mythic Day
Last week, my wife Ellen and I made a pilgrimage up through the California heartland, over Mt Shasta and into Oregon to a little town of about 20,000 known as Ashland. In addition to being a...
Science Says it’s Okay not to Be Nasty
“Humans are not naturally nasty,” read a headline I saw this morning. The article went on: Biological research increasingly debunks the view of humanity as competitive, aggressive and brutish, a...
In Defense of the Generalist
As I was researching my book, Evolutionaries, I made an interesting observation: This is not a world built for generalists. It is a world built for specialists. What’s valued intellectually is...
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They pepper-sprayed a parent? Trying to process this response...
“They set up a perimeter around the building.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/uvalde-residents-voice-frustration-over-shooting-response-11653588161
Wow, someone is feeling the pressure...
Prediction: CA boomers will go Republican before they allow upzoning. https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/newsom-housing-17188515.php
@carter_phipps has a new article in The Developmentalist entitled: Can We Make Governing Great Again? In it, he argues that we have lost our faith in experts in part because we have unfairly shifted the burden of decision making to them.
Read it here: https://developmentalist.org/article/can-we-make-governing-great-again/
