Our Unconscious Minds

The “reality” each organism lives inside — whether it is our own or that of ants, cows and, for all we know, grass — is a virtual one. Each organism has evolved a sensory system and a nervous system to select what it needs to get through the day in its neighborhood. Robert Ornstein, PhD; … Continue reading Our Unconscious Minds

The World of the Poor

The poor live with lawlessness, poor nutrition, low quality of education, and have so little cash reserves that simple mistakes or health problems can have devastating consequences. The poor live with lawlessness, poor nutrition, low quality of education, and have so little cash reserves that simple mistakes or health problems can have devastating consequences. The … Continue reading The World of the Poor

Moral Tribes

Featured Book Moral Tribes Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them Joshua D. GreenePaperback edition 2014 We live in an age of historically declining violence and expanding kindness. But it doesn’t feel like that to most of us. Unprecedented global threats and conflicts demand advances in our ability to coexist peacefully. Joshua D. … Continue reading Moral Tribes

Our Mind in the Modern World

Today, all around the world, technology has become a part of everyday life, and its capabilities are progressing rapidly. The world of our children bears little relationship to that of our grandparents. Our future will not be through the past, for biological evolution has not prepared us for a world in which communication is instant … Continue reading Our Mind in the Modern World

Rescuing the Planet by Tony Hiss

Featured Book Rescuing the Planet Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth Tony Hiss “Everything is impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela A surprising and genuine optimism about the Earth’s future emerges from the pages of Rescuing the Planet, by Tony Hiss, former staff writer for The New Yorker. Hiss finds this hope in otherwise ordinary people … Continue reading Rescuing the Planet by Tony Hiss

Our Predictive Brain

“There is a constant give-and-take in which what we experience reflects not just what the world is currently telling us, but what we — consciously or non-consciously — were expecting it to be telling us.”— Andy Clark, The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality Robert Ornstein, PhD; David Sobel, MD, MPH; and Sally … Continue reading Our Predictive Brain

Religious Life

Like other pre-Axial cultures, Greeks believed in a pantheon of Gods who presided over every aspect of life and nature. By Sally MallamContributing Write As in other cultures, the development of Greek religion focused around those aspects of Greek life that were of primary importance, for the Greeks it was the resolution of conflict or statis, … Continue reading Religious Life

The Panhellenic Games

Honoring the Gods involved all aspects of the Panhellenic Games. The agon, or contest, was at the center of life for the Greeks in their striving towards individual excellence, and, at the same time, prepared them both physically and mentally for conflict. By Sally MallamContributing Writer The Olympic Games, held every four years in honor … Continue reading The Panhellenic Games

The Theater of Ancient Greece

Greek dramatic plays, held in honor of selected gods, were unlike anything the world had seen before. They were performed in amphitheaters that provided a physical space in which foundational elements for the growth and sustainability of democracy were nurtured.   By Sally MallamContributing Writer Over at least three days Athenians had the opportunity, time … Continue reading The Theater of Ancient Greece