Consciousness is central to understanding our existence. The questions are simple – What is it? Where did it come from? What happens to it when we die? The answers are elusive. At the end of the day, there are theories to explain the neurobiological and neuroanatomical origins of consciousness, but they all fall short of … More What is Consciousness? Where Does it Go When We Die?
Humans are very likely the only life form on the planet that is aware of its own mortality. That knowledge may be one of the greatest gifts of human consciousness—and one of its greatest torments. Other animals recognize death in some form, but humans uniquely possess the explicit knowledge: “I myself will die someday.” In … More The Torment of Knowing Our Own Mortality
Progress has made life easier in ways previous generations could hardly imagine. We live in warm homes in winter, navigate unfamiliar cities with GPS, and can buy strawberries in January. These advances are real achievements, and few people would willingly return to the inconveniences of the past. Yet progress carries an underappreciated paradox: by removing … More Is Progress Quietly Eroding Resilience?
For some years, I have been trying to understand why large numbers of intelligent, otherwise reasonable people can look at the same political events and arrive at interpretations that feel not just different, but incompatible. Currently, that can be seen in how the country is divided by the MAGA movement. Each side is firmly entrenched … More System 1 Politics and the Fragility of Democracy
Confronting Mediocrity 