Author Archives: rsree
The Trump Phenomenon
Oxford Languages defines phenomenon as “a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question.” That is to say, one might be tempted to ask themselves: did this really happen? … Continue reading
Posted in People, Politics & Culture
Tagged 45th president, immigration, pandemic, phenomenon, racism, sociopath, Trump, USA
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In The Gray Morning Light
In a few weeks it will be International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death-camp on January 27, 1945, by the Soviet army. There are many things that continue to disturb me when I … Continue reading
Posted in People, Politics & Culture
Tagged Auschwitz, death-camp, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jews, Nazi Germany, People & Culture Tags Adolf Hitler, Reinhard Heydrich, The Final Solution, Wannsee Conference
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How Gullible Are We?
I have stated earlier that there is a pathetic streak of gullibility running through the human race and referred to it as “a debilitating if not fatal flaw by any other name, but seemingly so deeply embedded in our DNA … Continue reading
Posted in People, Politics & Culture
Tagged a flawed species, cognitive dissonance, Donald J. Trump, epistemology, gullibiliy
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The Ugly American
First used as the title of a 1948 photograph of an American tourist in Havana, the term “Ugly American” refers to a stereotype depicting a certain type of American citizen as exhibiting loud, arrogant, demeaning, thoughtless, ignorant, and ethnocentric behaviour … Continue reading
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An Existential Disconnect
In Franz Kafka’s (very) short 1908 story “The Passenger” he writes: I am standing on the platform of the tram and I am entirely uncertain as to my place in this world, in this town, in my family. Not even … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Science & Religion
Tagged evolution, Existential disconnect, Franz Kafka, human history, justification, The Passenger
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Is There a Point to the Universe?
“The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless. … “So says renowned physicist and Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg in his 1977 book “The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe)” In … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Science & Religion
Tagged Albert Camus, cosmology, creation, evolution, homo sapiens, human race, Jean-Paul Sartre, Karl Popper, meaning of life
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An Uncertain Future
Given what we think we know about the age of the universe, planet earth and the myriad of creatures that have and are continuing to inhabit it since life first appeared, we have arrived only recently as a species uniquely … Continue reading
Posted in People, Politics & Culture, Philosophy, Science & Religion
Tagged cosmos, evolution, future
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On the Nature of Reality
Simply put, reality is experiencing the world in real-time, the here and now and “the place” where we interact with it. It is the state of things as they are when we encounter them, as opposed to how they may … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Science & Religion
Tagged cosmos, Existence, Perception, reality, reasoning
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On The Nature of Consciousness
Somehow, our consciousness is the reason the universe is here. (Sir Roger Penrose) So, what is consciousness? Consciousness is a way of being in the world that appears to go beyond any known physical properties in the material universe, … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Science & Religion
Tagged consciousness, cosmos, evolution, Existence, laws of physics, life-forms, organism, reality, self-preservation
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Going Up In Smoke
I must admit, I am somewhat dumbfounded by this cannabis thing. As an erstwhile Dutchman watching the popularity of pot work its way up from Paris into Amsterdam in the late 50s, I readily admit I had a few joints … Continue reading
Posted in People, Politics & Culture
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