Michel Serres, A Poetic Philosopher
Michel Serres was a life-affirming philosopher whose emphatic style humanized science, encouraged empathy, and accepted our chaotic origins.
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Essays
Love in the Hands of Hate Groups: The Marketing of Bigotry
Hate groups have undertaken modern marketing practices to more effectively recruit—dressing up their message in more universal language.
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Play Is the Metaphysics of Becoming
Play is a matter of life and death, and it differs from games in a fundamental way—but it is also a metaphysical activity.
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Populism Trumps Policy: The Veering Politics of Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders traffics in populist rhetoric, making muddled thinking about good intentions more important than sound policy.
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Wanderlust Is a Vice, Not a Virtue
Critiques of wanderlust by Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Stoics have far-reaching consequences for our ability to lead meaningful lives.
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Transparency Is the End of Trust
Transparency might appear to be a morally upright aim but it is just another way of controlling human beings and hereby, rather paradoxically, undermines morality.
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If It Looks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck…Is It a Religion?
Critics of intersectionality now refer to it as the “social justice faith,” highlighting the religious zeal and dogmatism of its advocates. As religion retreats, its qualifications have widened, continuing the ideologically-motivated practice of redefining what constitutes a religion.
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A Revolution Built on Eye Contact
Cutting through the small talk and reviving a familiar ethos, Authentic Relating aims to supercharge the way we experience each other.
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Why Demoniac Forces Are the Best We Can Hope for
This isn’t about the salvation of the demoniac but an observation about the hope we can find in the demons which show up in our mundane lives.
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Let a Thousand Green New Deals Bloom
We don’t need a Green New Deal so much as many green new deals.
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Interoception Can Enhance the Depth of Our Emotions
Interoception offers us insights into “gut feelings,” revealing how bodily signals can guide emotion and cognition—to help us feel intensely.
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Honeybees and Zen During Ecological Collapse
Honeybees don’t only inform us of further ecological collapse but invite us into being more mindful: present and compassionate.
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Global WEIRDing Threatens Cognitive Diversity
Human cognitive diversity joins a number of other forms of diversity that are disappearing. Diversity of mammals and plants, of languages and cuisines. But the loss of cognitive diversity raises issues all its own.
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What Earthquakes Teach Us About Embracing Uncertainty
For natural disasters large enough to reshape society, Dr. Lucy Jones explains, “The best fit to the data is that it’s random. And we hate it. Random makes people really upset.” But such uncertainty doesn’t have to leave us feeling helpless—we should embrace the inherent chaos of the universe.
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‘Schools of Character’ Demonstrate a Path to Education Reform
In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, a grieving parent becomes an education reformer, champions “Schools of Character.”
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How ‘Silent Night’ Went from Humble Hymn to Holiday Staple
Translated into over 300 languages, it originates in a small Austrian village, having been written for a poverty-stricken and traumatized congregation.
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Ecstatic Experience: How the West Can Find Itself by Losing Control
In the West, we resist ecstatic experience, fearful of losing control—this hyper-rationalistic mindset excludes us from crucial paths to insight and connection. But there is a dark side to ecstasy.
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A Tough President and an Unsettled Nation
While the most violent mood in recent history settles over the nation, can we blame it on Donald Trump and his aspirations to be “tough?”
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How CBT Strengthens Political Life and Untruths Which Weaken It
Many in the US are experiencing emotional unwellness, while our foundational institutions are rattling. CBT can help with both.
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Religion Is About Emotion Regulation and Shared Experience
Religion is a social glue that unifies individuals into cooperative social groups and helps us regulate our emotions—even if it can’t explain nature.
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Depression Isn’t Caused by a Chemical Imbalance
The prevailing theory for depression focuses on an alleged chemical imbalance in the brain—meta-researchers are now dispelling this narrative.
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The Brain Can Be Rewired Through Meditation and Mindfulness
Neuroscience increasingly validates Buddhist practices, like meditation, which unlock the ability of the mind to change the brain.
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‘History of White People’ and Dealing with Race Theorists
Nell Irvin Painter’s book identifies some of the roots of the inequality we see today, which are based on the antiquated “science” of race theory. We can use the social construct of race to address social injustices, but what do we do with the mixed legacies of race theorists?
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LGBTQ…P? Polygamy in the Era of Marriage Equality
Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015. Ever-individualized notions of love, sexuality, and gender identity broaden our definition of family—but will we make room for polygamy? Should we?
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