Although humans have material needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, we've long known that humans also have immaterial needs, such as friendship, romance, entertainment, community standing, and spirituality.  This is definitely an incomplete list ( Read more... )

In most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained. I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme of self by the narrowness of my experience. Moreover, I require of every writer a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely ( Read more... )

It was Karl Marx's birthday earlier this week ( Read more... )

I firmly believe it is OK to fantasize about things you would never actually do, perhaps because they are illegal or immoral or both ( Read more... )

I ran across this book accidentally, while searching for something else. When my tablet went belly up I lost all my Kindle samples, and I was trying to find a book I'd enjoyed the sample of.

A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing, by Lawrence M. Krauss ( Read more... )

Perhaps I can explain my earlier LJ outburst about biodiversity and invasive species ( Read more... )

Why should I care about biodiversity? Are there factual reasons for why I should care, or just anecdotal and feel-good reasons ( Read more... )

Occasionally I want to read a book so badly, even though it doesn't have a Kindle version, that I order it in paper. Typically it is then never read at all, and sits around the house for decades. Well, I presume decades, I haven't had my Kindle apps for as long as 4 years yet ( Read more... )

Is Zen, properly practiced, the paradoxical anti-identity?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/28/AR2006092801994.html/?/Read more... )