Day: October 28, 2017

Brain, Curiositys, History, Living, Media&Culture, PsychologyLeave a comment

How Evolution Designed Your Fear

Fernando Kaskais

Timo Paschke / EyeEm / Getty Images The universal grip of Stephen King’s personal terrors. BY MATHIAS CLASEN The most effective monsters of horror fiction mirror ancestral dangers to exploit evolved human fears. Some fears are universal, some are near-universal, and some are local. The local fears—the idiosyncratic phobias such as the phobia of moths, say—tend to be avoided by horror writers, directors, and programmers. Horror artists typically want to target the greatest possible audience and that means targeting the most common fears. As the writer Thomas F. Monteleone has observed, “a horror writer has to have an unconscious sense … Continue reading How Evolution Designed Your Fear

Buddhism, Curiositys, History, Living, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Psychology1 Comment

10 Misconceptions about Buddhism

Fernando Kaskais

Oración by César González Palomo Two Buddhist scholars expand on popular misconceptions about Buddhism. By Robert E. Buswell, Jr. and Donald S. Lopez, Jr. In the series 10 Misconceptions about Buddhism, scholars Robert E. Buswell Jr. and Donald S. Lopez Jr. expand and debunk these popular misconceptions: 1. ALL BUDDHISTS MEDITATE. Meditation is often identified as the central practice of Buddhism. However, the majority of Buddhists throughout history have not meditated. Meditation has traditionally been considered a monastic practice, and even then as a specialty only of certain monks. It is only since the 20th century that the practice of meditation has begun to … Continue reading 10 Misconceptions about Buddhism

Curiositys, History, Living, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

26 Native American Traditional Code Of Ethics That Everyone Should Follow

Fernando Kaskais

White Wolf Pack  |  Body, Mind, Soul & Spirit Creed and Code are the essence of the standards our honored ancestors lived by. They are based on honesty, integrity, helping one another in work and play, making the best of things, being friendly and kind, respecting elders, and taking care of Mother Earth that gives us food and shelter needed to survive. 1. Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little … Continue reading 26 Native American Traditional Code Of Ethics That Everyone Should Follow

Brain, Curiositys, Living, Media&Culture, Philosophy, Psychology, ScienceLeave a comment

How natural is numeracy?

Fernando Kaskais

Development in Brown 1933, by Wassily Kandinsky. Photo by Christophel Fine Art/Getty Where does our number sense come from? Is it a neural capacity we are born with — or is it a product of our culture? Philip Ball is a British science writer, whose work appears in Nature, New Scientist and Prospect, among others. His latest book is Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen (2014). Why can we count to 152? OK, most of us don’t need to stop there, but that’s my point. Counting to 152, and far beyond, comes to us so naturally that it’s hard not to regard our ability to navigate indefinitely up … Continue reading How natural is numeracy?