Toppling Icons
There are many great problems in late-industrial modern society, and there are many ways these problems can be addressed – some of them more effective than others. In this short…
jtoddring
Debunking the anti-vaxxer rhetoric
Why the anti-vaxxer argument does not hold up: That is to say, why the vitriolic proponents of forced covid vaccines are categorically in the wrong Here is my response to…
Why Do Yoga?
Yoga is now practiced by champion boxers, football players such as the Miami Dolphins, and celebrity musicians such as Sting. Yoga is now being practiced by people as…
Boethius, Stoicism and The Consolation of Philosophy
While I would recommend Boethius, and the Consolation of Philosophy, to all, I would not recommend Stoicism to anyone, for two reasons: 1. It encourages a banishment of feeling and…
The Psychology and Therapeutic Benefits of D&D
Or, Why D&D Kicks Butt There is a mounting body of evidence and experience that shows that D&D, the original role playing strategy game (like chess, but with improv theatre,…
The New Renaissance Women and Men
For thousands of years, philosophers and others have been asking questions such as, What is a just society? What is virtue? What is a virtuous life? What is the good…
Overviews of philosophy, religion, politics, history & sociology: where one might begin – or continue in more depth
Fascinating look here, in this BBC podcast (linked below), at the history, sociology, psychology, theology and politics of fundamentalism, evangelism, millennialism & apocalyptism. See also, Michael Grosso’s, The Millennium Myth,…
The Orangutan vs The Army Of The Dead
(Written before the 2020 US election, this short piece still sums up the situation in American politics very well.) Trump is no fairy tale prince, and nor am I a…
Freedom Is Fundamental
There is a great deal of noise and commotion, fighting and fussing, conflict and division, in many areas and many regards, over how people should live. Valuing freedom, in practice…
The Death of Science
Big business and the billionaire oligarchs are now taking over science, after having already taken over the global economy, the financial system and money creation, almost all governments, and all…
They Want It All
“You’ll own nothing, and you’ll be happy.” So says Davos founder and oligarch-in-chief, what’s his name….Vlad the Impaler? No, wait…Klaus Schwabb. In any event, you’ll own nothing, while the billionaires…
Medieval Society – Then and Now
“You’re still fucking peasants as far as I can see.”- John Lennon Great short video, linked below, but the view of medieval peasant life is too one-sided – as is…
The God Fetish, the God Phobia, and the Fetish of Words: Or, The Idolatry of Ideology
There are some who will read my writing and think – he’s a dangerous right-winger! But if they read more, they will realize that is obviously untrue. Others will decide…
Primary Influences
What are my primary influences? Among them: Buddhism, Taoism, the perennial philosophy, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Thoreau, along with the values of the Enlightenment: liberty, equality, solidarity –…
The Definition Of A Warrior
Here is a good working definition of a warrior. Chogyam Trungpa, or the 13th Dalai Lama, can explain it better. I am just a student. (See, Shambhala: The Sacred Path…
The Essence of the Path
Here are a few things that I have gleaned, from listening, from study and contemplation, and from some genuine experience. I believe they can be helpful. But above all, think…
Rescuing Plato, Rescuing Ourselves
Despite the fact that Western civilization (sic) has greatly venerated and virtually worshipped the ancients of Greece and Rome, in reality, they had little to offer in terms of philosophy.…
Russia In A Nutshell
Whatever problems Russia has, and every country has problems, as does Russia, two things are clear: Russia is not trying to take over the world. Davos and Washington are doing…
The Hollow Men Encounter The Spirit of Capitalism
And We Recoil In Horror Before The Reality Is Anything More Than A flickering and Fleeting Perception, Which Can Be Easily Denied, and Swept Aside “We are the hollow men,…