BEHAVIORISM is psychology’s variant on physicalism, the idea that physical events explain all mental or physiological events. It’s the view that all your private thoughts and experiences—moods, dreams, flights of art and fancy, and what... Read More

We’ve all been told we’re supposed to “be good.” But why? So your god can reward you? Such religious reasons have no evidentiary basis for their competing and occasionally destructive morals. Should you be good... Read More

Determinism is bound to remain one of the more intriguing problems in philosophy as well as science. As the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says: “There is no agreement over whether determinism is true (or even... Read More

There is a famous story about an essay contest in England in 1910. The topic was, “What is wrong with the world?” The British writer G. K. Chesterton wrote the winning entry. It consisted of... Read More

If there’s one word that defines the United States and what it’s all about, surely “freedom” is that word. Basically freedom means doing what you want. But is that really important? Or is the concept... Read More

"The world began when I was born and the world is mine to win." —Badger Clark As much as the anthropocentric arrogance and subjectivity of the above statement contradict obvious facts, it could be said... Read More

What is a philosopher? What is a scientist? What is a teacher? What is a poet? When we set about answering such questions in a way that takes us beyond dictionary definitions, we usually find... Read More