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Buddhism

Painting by Edvard Munch with a young ill woman seated, looking out a window during spring, accompanied by a woman providing her comfort.
("Spring" by Edvard Munch, 1889)
Essays Philosophy 

Should We Take Comfort in the Knowledge Others Have it Worse?

October 21, 2021December 23, 2022 21 min read Sam Woolfe Buddhism, Consolation, Schopenhauer, Stoicism, Suffering

While the phrase “It could be worse” can provide us comfort, it may lead to less effective and less ethical forms of consolation.

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God is a question an atheists invitation to intellectual humility Erraticus image by Kelly Kiernan
(Kelly Kiernan)
Interviews Religion 

‘God Is a Question’: An Atheist’s Invitation to Intellectual Humility

April 29, 2019March 27, 2021 16 min read Jeffrey Howard Ancient Wisdom, Buddhism, Christianity, Community, Mindfulness

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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Honeybees and Zen During Ecological Collapse Erraticus Image by Boris Smokrovic
(Boris Smokrovic)
Essays Psychology 

Honeybees and Zen During Ecological Collapse

February 14, 2019June 1, 2020 7 min read Heather Swan Ancient Wisdom, Buddhism, Environmentalism, Nature

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 Erraticus Image Walt Disney Studios
(Walt Disney Studios)
Culture Ideas 

Mary Poppins as the Bodhisattva Ideal

January 11, 2019August 28, 2020 7 min read David Paul Kirkpatrick Ancient Wisdom, Buddhism, Film

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 Your Can't Control Erraticus Image by Brooke Cagle
(Brooke Cagle)
Ideas Psychology 

You’re Unhappy Because You Focus on What You Can’t Control

November 10, 2018June 1, 2020 6 min read Massimo Pigliucci Ancient Wisdom, Buddhism, Emotional Well-being, Stoicism

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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Brain Can Be Changed Through Meditation and Mindfulness Erraticus Image by Jared Rice
(Jared Rice)
Essays Science & Tech 

The Brain Can Be Rewired Through Meditation and Mindfulness

September 3, 2018April 30, 2021 25 min read Rick Hanson Ancient Wisdom, Buddhism, Essential Reading, Mindfulness, Neuroscience

Neuroscience increasingly validates Buddhist practices, like meditation, which unlock the ability of the mind to change the brain.

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A Pragmatic Approach to Ideas

An online publication focused on human flourishing, taking a pragmatic approach to ideas. We care about ideas that help us to live well together, focusing on their practical consequences.

 

“Pragmatism, on the other hand, asks its usual question. ‘Grant an idea or belief to be true,’ it says, ‘what concrete difference will its being true make in anyone’s actual life? How will the truth be realized? What experiences will be different from those which would obtain if the belief were false? What, in short, is the truth’s cash-value in experiential terms?'” — William James

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