The reality of this American life is that every. single. place has been shaped by anti-black racism. There is no structure, no institution, no system that has not been formed, in part, by white supremacy, by anti-POC bias, by all insidious kinds of racism. It's imperative that we acknowledge how broadly, deeply pervasive white supremacy … Continue reading Examining the anti-Black racism of my chosen spaces
I recently listened to Dr. Shankar Vedantam interview Dr. Peter Singer on Vedantam's (excellent) podcast, Hidden Brain. Singer is a contemporary utilitarianism, a philosopher of ethics who argues that the right thing to do is that which produces the most amount of happiness (or the least amount of suffering) in the world. On the face … Continue reading Two arguments against “the end justifies the means”
I have a bit of catch-up to do (HEGEL YOU BASTARD), so I thought I'd power through this chapter to get back on track. Luckily, I really enjoyed this chapter because philosophy of ethics is much more my thing than metaphysics, so thank goodness for this chapter as a breath of fresh, easily-breathable air. This … Continue reading OHPT: Thoughts on Moral Perfection (Chapter 10)
Just to be clear: I think wearing face masks in public and when around strangers is good, responsible, and important (even while maintaining six feet of distance). There is nothing I want more right now than for this virus to die out and for life to return to a semblance of normal. Not the normal … Continue reading Face masks are making me feel things
Even with the craziness and intensity of the current COVID-19 situation, I thought I was fine. Stressed about the state of the world and an uncertain future, sure. Who isn't? But I thought I was handling and processing it all in a good, thorough, "work through it and be able to function normally" kind of … Continue reading Self-Reflection during COVID-19: tackling the beliefs of anxiety
Earlier this year I was diagnosed with a herniated disc. This meant a total cessation of all high-intensity physical activity, which meant I had to cease doing several of the major things that bring me joy and keep my happy hormones regulated and high. The rest has been wonderful for my back (and probably my … Continue reading The paces of reading
When a person articulates an idea, they are less likely to change their minds because they must first admit that they were initially wrong. Maintaining an erroneous notion, such as a first impression, causes less anxiety than admitting an error and adopting another position.Psychologytoday.com I found a couple things in these two sentences fascinating. 1). … Continue reading Bound to my word (apparently)
Let's start off with the big one, shall we? Fear is one of the easiest ones to talk about when it comes to beliefs, because in some ways it's quite straight-forward. Identify what beliefs are giving rise to the emotion.#1 When we are afraid, we believe something is going to or could harm us. And … Continue reading Self-reflection during COVID-19: tackling the beliefs of fear
There are a lot of questions we have yet to answer and understand, but one of the most fascinating is the origin and function of our own consciousness. Now is an incredibly exciting time to be able to address that question, because of how much we are learning about the physical workings of the brain. … Continue reading Where did consciousness come from?! Two internet people insult each other
What does a "full life" mean? What are its parts? How does one do it? I recently bemoaned how often I default to reading when I have free time, and how I rely too much on books to fill my moments. What I had in mind were all the OTHER things I love doing -- … Continue reading On living a full life
