The beauty of the human mind, a characteristic arrogant fools claim is exclusive to humanity, is the conjuring of imaginary realms to mentally explore while the physical being, relaxing in a comfy chair, remains in a state of stasis. I don't believe imagination is a human only capability. I am not alone in this supposition. Science has shown behaviors in dolphins, chimps, rats, gray parrots, and, my personal favorite, corvids, especially the stately raven. There is a peculiar raven named Mortimer with whom I have had deep conversations on those rare occasions that he is not distracted by shiny objects or a freshly opened bag of spicy beef jerky. However, our interactions...

For a significant part of my life, perhaps from birth, I was a contrarian, typically taking an antagonistic stance against the prevailing winds of the day. I don't know if I am genetically predisposed, though I strongly suspect I am, to go against the flow or something in my environment trained me to embrace the struggle upstream rather than float downstream with the flotsams and jetsams. I suspect it was a combination of both genetics and environmental influences. I was born with a strong "I won't" that found me regularly refusing to do the simplest tasks without fussing. As a child of the 60s, my anti-establishment perspective was exacerbated as I, by osmosis, absorbed...

Truth is generally defined as something in agreement with fact or reality. Correspondence theory states that truth occurs when a statement or belief corresponds to the reality it describes. A critical nuance missing, though, is one of perspective, of context. Perspective can render one man's number six, another woman's number nine and vice versa. These two distinct realities mean there are differing true truths. In each case, one truth makes no sense to the other truth holder. The subjective nature of reality carries the baggage that truth is...

I imagine a question of this sort first arose when one would be ancient philosopher peered out of the window of the brick home from one of the first human settlements, looked past the central temple complex dedicated to Enki, the god of wisdom and water, past the settlement's boundaries, where a hunting party was returning carrying gazelles lashed to long sticks with their mouths open and tongues lolling, then looked beyond into the wilds and wondered why she felt the tug to abandon the city and disappear back into the steppe. Wondering why...

A fundamental flaw in the question, despite being uttered by the renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan, is the presupposition that there is only one universe. Modern astrophysicists theorize that the number of universes is in the realm of 10 raised to the 10th power raised to the 16th power. A number so big, it is essentially infinity. I have difficulty wrapping my head around one observing infinity or with infinity collapsing into one. So, the answer I posit, will be under the caveat...

I have been enthralled with the visual arts for as long as I can remember, paintings and photography primarily. I am also intrigued by ceramics and sculpting, but not enough to try my hand at either. I would like to try turning spalted wood into a stunning bowl or vase. I lack the space for even a halfway decent lathe and the myriad tools necessary to perform turning magic. Primarily, though, my joy (and envy) come from people who can capture or arrange color in a perfectly framed photo or in an appealing aesthetic in a painting, such as the oil painting...

One of the life challenges humans must navigate throughout our lives is the effective management of our egos. The ego drives multiple life decisions, particularly when it is in some way challenged or offended by a second party not privy to our inner machinations. Without conscious thought, the ego, triggered unconsciously, reacts irrespective of the odds of coming out the better in a confrontation. A bruised ego will bite

If I had to venture a guess, I would say the meaning of life question has been around since the dawn of consciousness. Following fast on the heels of the statement, "I am!" came the question, "Why am I?" and has been an overarching concern ever since it spilled off a hominid's tongue. There is evidence the Neanderthals buried their dead ritualistically, so it may have occurred to them long before Homo Sapiens had the same thoughts. It is plausible Homo Sapiens learned...

I have heard a few possible answers to this question. The are two primary positions. Theists claim the mind, euphemism for soul, is primary, with the body little more than a temporary vessel in which the soul is forged by God's holy fire. The discarded body is destined for the pyre or an eternity trapped in a coffin after the soul departs and returns to its true home in Heaven. From a biological perspective, by existing, the body is animated by a life force, with the conscious mind a natural offshoot of the body's anima. The first position is called Dualism...

As infants and into toddlerhood, our brain embarks on a developmental course with an extraordinary burst of synapse production, a process known as synaptogenesis. Our minds rapidly absorb knowledge and experiences at an age when we are not mature enough to differentiate between the keep because it is helpful, discard because it is detrimental. The subconscious takes in all and stores all for future application when the frontal lobes are more fully developed. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher reasoning, reaches full maturity around the age of 25. That is...