Month: October 2020

Curiositys, Esoteric, Media&Culture, SpaceLeave a comment

Feel Stuck? Astrocartography (Aka Astrology of Place) Can Tell You Where in the World You’ll Thrive

Fernando Kaskais

By Brianna Lapolla  Imagine a world where you could predetermine your success—in love, career, personal growth and more—just by looking at a map. If there’s one thing most of us have been dreaming about over the past eight months, it’s the joy of traveling. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably contemplated moving to Europe, Hawaii or Australia for the thrill of doing something—anything—different than living, working and exercising within the same four walls. As a Cancer, I’m absolutely enjoying this time of slowing down and having no choice but to be a home body. No plans to make and cancel last … Continue reading Feel Stuck? Astrocartography (Aka Astrology of Place) Can Tell You Where in the World You’ll Thrive

Health, Living, Money, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

Opinion: How much is enough? Less than you think

Fernando Kaskais

Luxury is best enjoyed intermittently, as Epicurus would tell us by Eric Weiner Everyone craves pleasure, but few know how best to obtain it and at what cost. Surprisingly, some of the most useful advice comes not from modern psychology but from a 2,000-year-old philosopher. Epicurus, known today as a decadent gourmand (witness the website named after him), was in fact less hedonist than “tranquillist.” Yes, he advocated a life of pleasure but not as we typically think of the word. For Epicurus, pleasure consisted not of a presence (of anything) but an absence—a complete lack of anxiety. “It is better for … Continue reading Opinion: How much is enough? Less than you think

Brain, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

The rise and rise of creativity

Fernando Kaskais

Once seen as the work of genius, how did creativity become an engine of economic growth and a corporate imperative? by Steven Shapin is Franklin L Ford Research Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. Edited by Sam Dresser Creativity doesn’t have a deep history. The Oxford English Dictionary records just a single usage of the word in the 17th century, and it’s religious: ‘In Creation, we have God and his Creativity.’ Then, scarcely anything until the 1920s – quasi-religious invocations by the philosopher A N Whitehead. So creativity, considered as a power belonging to an individual – divine or mortal … Continue reading The rise and rise of creativity

Brain, Curiositys, Living, Philosophy, Psychology2 Comments

WHY WISDOM IS NOT AND CANNOT BE A “SCIENCE”

Fernando Kaskais

Some have tried to make the pursuit of wisdom a “scientific” endeavour. That is not going well. by DENYSE O’LEARY  A curiosity of our age is the effort to “naturalize” traditional values, to treat them as an outcome of evolution. Evolution we are told, took us in a slightly different direction from that of the apes but it did not put us in contact with a wisdom beyond this world. There is no such thing. That conflicts with traditional accounts of wisdom. Wisdom has been seen as different from “knowledge,” “intelligence” or “street smarts.” They are all very useful, of … Continue reading WHY WISDOM IS NOT AND CANNOT BE A “SCIENCE”

Curiositys, Freak U.S.A, Manipulation, Media&Culture, Politics, Psychology1 Comment

The Psychology of Fact Checking

Fernando Kaskais

Fact checkers aim to get closer to the truth, but their biases can shroud the very truth they seek By Stephen J. Ceci, Wendy M. Williams  Distortions and outright lies by politicians and pundits have become so common that major news outlets like the Associated Press, CNN, BBC, Fox News,and Washington Post routinely assign journalists and fact-checkers to verify claims made during stump speeches and press briefings. The motivation to uncover falsehoods and misleading statements taken out of context is laudable. But when it comes to real-world complexities, the trouble is that people often see different things when looking at the same event, a … Continue reading The Psychology of Fact Checking

Curiositys, Freak U.S.A, History, Hypocrisy, Manipulation, PoliticsLeave a comment

THE AMERICAN DREAM IS A FRAUD. WHAT NOW?

Fernando Kaskais

In ‘Stakes Is High,’ Mychal Denzel Smith argues that justice begins with challenging America’s self-perception by Naomi Elias Stakes is High: Life After the American Dream is the second book from New York Times bestselling author Mychal Denzel Smith. The title is borrowed from the 1996 De La Soul song and eponymous album, and nearly 25 years after its release, Smith — who has contributed to The Washington Post and The Nation and was twice named to The Root’s list of the 100 Most Influential African-Americans — is employing the phrase as a pithy nutshell for this current highly-charged political moment.  Smith turned 30 around the time of the … Continue reading THE AMERICAN DREAM IS A FRAUD. WHAT NOW?

Europe, History, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

Man is not a machine: The genius of Chesterton’s Father Brown

Fernando Kaskais

In the early 20th century, G.K. Chesterton crafted 53 wonderful stories featuring a Roman Catholic priest who was also an amateur sleuth. by Tod Worner  One of the greatest mistakes of the modern age is to underestimate the wisdom of a religious man or woman. But it is a mistake that is made again and again. Religion, it is argued, is a myth and a crutch. It is the fancy of weak-minded adherents to fairy tales who are reluctant to engage with the hard-boiled facts of “real life.” Who needs miracles and parables when we have iPhones and Amazon? It is … Continue reading Man is not a machine: The genius of Chesterton’s Father Brown

Curiositys, Europe, Living, Media&Culture, Psychology1 Comment

How To Embrace Winter Like A Scandinavian

Fernando Kaskais

by David Nikel Senior ContributorLifestyleTravel and lifestyle in Europe with a focus on Norway & Scandinavia. As the reality of living through a winter with coronavirus restrictions still in place starts to dawn on people all over the northern hemisphere, experts worry of a potential mental health crisis. Lessons drawn from the world’s happiest region could be key to keeping ourselves in good physical and mental health over the chilly, dark season to come. While winters aren’t as cold as you might expect in much of Scandinavia especially coastal areas, the population still has to deal with winter storms, high winds and very … Continue reading How To Embrace Winter Like A Scandinavian

Curiositys, Freak U.S.A, Politics, Psychology, RacismLeave a comment

The Psychology Behind Police Brutality

Fernando Kaskais

By Arlin Cuncic  Have you ever wondered about the psychology behind police brutality? Why is it that some police officers can go their whole careers without ever using excessive force, while others seem to be caught in a cycle of using more force than is required sometimes leading to death? Furthermore, what are the factors that influence a police officer to use excessive force? These questions and more have been on the minds of many as acts of police brutality seem to be occurring more regularly, and racial tensions over the inequality regarding the victims of police brutality have emerged. What … Continue reading The Psychology Behind Police Brutality

Brain, Health, History, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

The Science of How Alive You Really Are: Alan Turing, Trees, and the Wonder of Life

Fernando Kaskais

“The more a creature’s life is worth, the less of it is alive.” BY MARIA POPOVA When the young Alan Turing (June 23, 1912–June 7, 1954) lost the love of his life, Christopher, to a bacterium contracted from cow’s milk, the grief-savaged future father of computing comforted his beloved’s grief-savaged mother by telling her that “the body provides something for the spirit to look after and use.” For the remainder of his life, he never ceased contemplating this binary code of body and spirit — a preoccupation fanned by this leveling loss in young adulthood, but ignited in childhood, by a book he had … Continue reading The Science of How Alive You Really Are: Alan Turing, Trees, and the Wonder of Life