How Surrealist Art Reflects Reality
One of my favorite paintings is “The Treachery of Images” (“La Trahison des Images“) by René Magritte. Even if you don’t know the title or the artist, you may have seen it. It’s an...
Tagged: philosophy
Finding Meaning in a Secular World
Is it possible to find meaning in life when you don’t believe in God? Many people believe they were put on this earth for a purpose, whether that’s being a parent, worker, athlete, artist,...
The Tyranny of the Should
I started seeing a therapist for depression recently. (I’m loath to admit such a thing publicly, but I think it’s important that we tackle the stigma against mental illness.) Last week, I mentioned that...
Reinvent Yourself Often
On the day of my college graduation, my parents gave me a greeting card. I don’t recall what the card said. I don’t even recall all the words may parents wrote. But three words...
Living in the Present
I have trouble living in the present. It’s too easy to dream about the future or reminisce about the past. On the other hand, I think that living too much in the present leads...
Experience vs Memory
I saw an interesting TED Talk about the psychology of experience vs memory. In the talk, psychologist Daniel Kahneman talks about two competing parts of our conscious mind: the experiencing self and the remembering...
What Does It Mean to Be a Texan?
I had a discussion (argument) with a good friend about what it means to be a Texan. I said that, after 7+ years of living in Dallas, I felt I could call myself a...
Physical Fitness and Cartesian Dualism
I used to believe in Cartesian Dualism, the idea that the mind and body are separate. According to René Descartes, the mind is something that exists on a level beyond the physical brain. He...
Conspiracy Theorists and the Meaning of Life
You may think of conspiracy theorists as pessimistic shut-ins, wearing tinfoil hats and wallowing in paranoia. This isn’t always true, but it’s the stereotype that people have in their heads. In general, non-conspiracy theorists...
The Afterlife Without God
What if there’s an afterlife, but no God? It’s an idea that’s almost unthinkable in Western religion, though it is accepted in some Eastern religions. When it comes to the supernatural and the divine,...
