We’re Overdoing Democracy. But Why?
Society has become so politically-saturated that we’re now overdoing democracy. Here are a few reasons why it undermines our institutions.
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The Dude Abides: Pragmatism as an Alternative to Deontology and Nihilism
Stuck in the conflict between two worldviews, the Dude offers a pragmatic third way forward for the postmodern world.
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How Deconstructing Anxiety Makes Transcendence Possible
With the understanding that fear is the fundamental problem in being human, we have our starting point. To pursue this quest, we must fully deconstruct anxiety, reveal its origins and mechanism, and find its resolution.
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‘The School of Life’ Preaches Pessimism over Romanticism
‘The School of Life’ is on a crusade to avail us of our emotional ignorance. Philosopher Alain De Botton seeks to remedy the shortcomings of contemporary education systems and the institutions that have failed to instruct us in how to approach the big questions in life.
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René Girard’s Map to Meaning: We’re All Victim(izer)s
As we try to align ourselves closely with the true victims, René Girard shows how the ancient scapegoat ruse leads us to meaningful compassion.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Ishiguro Explores ‘Our Illusory Sense of Connection with the World’
Ishiguro has been praised for his unapologetic investigation of loss and hope, and the “inevitable sadness” inherent in his novels.
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Saudade: Happy Melancholy, Nostalgia for What Is Absent
Portuguese speakers commonly boast that “saudade” is untranslatable. Does that mean certain emotion experiences can be unique to a particular culture?
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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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Infantilization of Western Culture: Adults No Longer Adult
College students aren’t the only ones embracing infantilization, but what happens when an entire society succumbs to childlike behavior?
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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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‘Enlightenment Now’ Demands a New Romanticism
There are many who say that Romanticism is dead. But the tensions between Romanticism and the soldiers of the original Enlightenment are rising up again.
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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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Treating Carbon Emissions Like Trash Collection Could Reverse Climate Change
We already have the technology to reverse Climate Change, but one great obstacle remains—Nori is a company that believes it can solve that problem, succeeding where political activism has not.
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Funerals Are Vital Spaces for Emotional Learning
We dishonor a person’s memory and do ourselves a disservice when we don’t also acknowledge the dead person’s flaws, faults, or missteps—in other words, embrace their whole humanity. Whether we want it or not, funerals are spaces for emotional learning, not just grieving or reinforcing cultural norms.
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First Impressions of an Unschooling School
Envision a school that is not compulsory or coercive, that is a completely student-directed educational environment, whose primary aim is to develop emotionally intelligent children who can live meaningful lives.
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Unconditional Cash Transfers Can Fix Foreign Aid
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.
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