Susan Blackmore studies ‘memes:’ ideas that replicate themselves from brain to brain like a virus. She makes a bold new argument: Humanity has spawned a new kind of ‘meme,’ the ‘teme,’ which spreads itself via technology—and invents ways to keep itself alive.
Starting with the simple tale of an ant, philosopher Dan Dennett unleashes a devastating salvo of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of memes—concepts that are literally alive.
Arthur Schopenhauer, Ph.D., German Philosopher, Atheist
No: it is impossible to solve the metaphysical puzzle, to discover the secret essence of reality, by examining matter first, and then proceeding to examine thought: we must begin with that which we know directly and intimately—ourselves. “We can never arrive at the real nature of things from without. However much we may investigate, we can never reach anything but images and names. We are like a man who goes round a castle seeking in vain for an entrance, and sometimes sketching the facades.” Let us enter within. If we can ferret out the ultimate nature of our own minds we shall perhaps have the key to the external world.
Why is religion featuring so prominently in the Republican presidential race? What happened to jobs? […] Melissa Harris-Perry argues that religion has been central to Republican party politics for more than a decade. After 9/11, faith became a central part of conservatives’ electoral strategy as politicians tapped anti-Muslim anxiety to gain votes.
His Saturday speech in South Carolina will make clear that he is entering the race for the White House and will spawn the ugliest and most expensive presidential race in U.S. history, and he will win. A C and D student, who hates to govern, loves to campaign, and barely has a sixth grader’s understanding of economics, will lead our nation into oblivion.
Every time that we say that God is the author of some phenomenon, that signifies that we are ignorant of how such a phenomenon was caused by the forces of nature.
Always Question Authority 