Childlike Truth
You think I’m pretty, innocent, and sweet/ Yet innocence and sweet is not what I’ve seen
In Two Worlds: A New Podcast
A podcast on how we, as creative creatures, make meaningful lives and how we can best tackle the challenges of existence. Join the discussion as Jeffrey Howard interviews a wide gamut of guests, drawing from their expertise in psychology, education, religion, and history, to explore how we thrive as individuals and in our communities.
Beautiful Speech
Your body flies on a carriage of wind/ To land aloft upon the ears of humanity/ The question is always does it fit the trend?/ Alas, tyranny of the majority is the calamity.
Unconditional Cash Transfers Can Fix Foreign Aid and Promote Freedom
Foreign aid in the form of conditional cash transfers between governments tends to be abused by corrupt regimes, and rarely makes it into the hands of those in need. UCTs are a way to bypass that, and reinforce personal freedom.
Why We Should Still Listen to Award Speeches, Even If ‘They’re Just Celebrities’
Perceived as self-congratulatory or smug acts of virtue-signaling, awards ceremony speeches play key roles in raising awareness for important issues. Celebrities are not political experts. Still, that shouldn't distract the public from reflecting on hot-button issues like minority representation in film, and sexual misconduct.
Spilled Blood
There's no use crying over spilled blood / she hums, scrubbing
Is Jordan Peterson an Antidote Against the Pitfalls of Postmodernism?
Synthesizing neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, literature, and mythology, Peterson distills a message of individual responsibility, and how we can find meaning in the balance between chaos and order.
Workers Can’t Stop Industry Change, But They Can Prepare For It
New technology may erode some industries, but as a whole, it improves lives and productivity; Still, we all have to adapt if we want to withstand the initial shocks resulting from this creative destruction.
We Can Never Know Whether Something is Good or Bad, and That’s Okay
This Taoist parable highlights how our obsession with evaluating outcomes can be a deceiving diversion that distracts us from action and inner peace.
For Love’s Sake, Let’s Reclaim the Manic Pixie Dream Girl
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a deservedly maligned Hollywood trope. But, she hearkens to an ancient archetype which can unlock a deeper understanding of love.
A Divided World Needs to Make God a Useful Idea, Again
In his newest book, God: A Human History, Reza Aslan seeks to provide an explanation for this rise of what he refers to as “the humanized God.” He proposes a more pragmatic idea of god, instead.
Building a Faith Community Without Belief in God
Tranquil chaos surrounded me, but I fervently believed that the humanities could offer answers to the big questions. Could a commonwealth of non-believers offer the same benefits of a faith community?
Why Do We Think The Working Class is Less Intelligent?
Traditional methods of measuring IQ suggest that a correlation exists between intelligence and social class. This outdated view of intelligence, among other social and environmental factors, perpetuates a stigma and enlarges a widening intelligence gap.
How the Toothbrush Mirrors Societal Progress: An Oral History
Just as simple technologies have been abandoned for more beneficial advancements, so should we jettison institutions, laws, philosophies, and cultures which no longer incubate human flourishing.
Medicine Alone Can’t Beat Diseases. We Need Stories Too.
In joining the fight against the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, one graduate student discovers the psychological power of proper stories, and how their equally impressive ability to challenge practices, were essential to improving medical outcomes.
Overcoming Childhood Trauma and Other Heroic Lessons from The Dark Knight
Not only is the Dark Knight Trilogy a cinematic masterpiece, but it’s also a plat du jour of insight into the consequences of empathy and emotional resiliency.
Lost Communication in a Completely Connected World
Like never before has technology been able to bring people together, from all over the world; yet, we struggle to resists its use as a way to alienate ourselves from one another.
Geek Culture is Mainstream, But Geek Girls Remain Left Behind
Geek girls are vying for top-billing in a culture that used to ignore them and now frequently makes self-deprecating jokes about male geeks’ inability to coherently talk to women. Female representation is diversifying as women continue to grow as a consumer block, but women and girls deserve more.
The 3 Faces of Political Incorrectness
There are three distinct types of anti-PC rebels. Two of them serve a valuable social function. The third is a menace and should be treated as such.
Peter Pan, Existentialist Fairy Tale?
For all its silliness and sentimentality, Peter Pan serves as a precautionary tale for those who fear the responsibilities of living, and the uncertainties of dying.
How Sports Bridge Our Cultural Divisions
The collective joys and sorrows of sports offer a healthy outlet for our tribal natures, and give us a safer space in which we can bridge gaps pertaining to more divisive societal arenas.
