‘God Is a Question’: An Atheist’s Invitation to Intellectual Humility
William Irwin seeks to quell bad faith arguments and encourage greater acceptance of the uncertainty so endemic to life’s big questions.
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Ancient Wisdom
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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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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Mary Poppins as the Bodhisattva Ideal
P.L. Travers, who hung out with British mystics and studied alongside a Zen Buddhist master, would have approved of the Mary Poppins sequel.
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You’re Unhappy Because You Focus on What You Can’t Control
If you succeed in shifting your goals internally, you’ll be happier, because what other people do is largely beyond your control.
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How CBT Strengthens Political Life and Untruths That 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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News-fatigued? Read Stoic Philosophy and Poetry Instead
Reading the news feels awful but ignoring it doesn’t feel right either. A stoic mindset shields us from catastrophy—and inspires action.
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Is ‘Know Thyself’ the Greatest Delphic Maxim We Know?
We’re familiar with ‘know thyself’ as one of the highest commands of philosophy, but we’d be remiss if we ignored the other Delphic maxims.
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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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Comfort with Solitude Comes Before the Ability to Think
Freedom entails the capacity to think and to judge in private, where solitude empowers the individual to contemplate their actions and develop their conscience, to escape the cacophony of the crowd. Solitude precedes moral thinking.
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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.
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