Person From History—Hypatia of Alexandria
08/02/2025
Hypatia of Alexandria was a brilliant 4th-century philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who taught Neoplatonic philosophy in a time of religious and political upheaval. Revered for her intellect and virtue, she became a symbol of classical wisdom during the rise of Christianity. Her violent death at the hands of a Christian mob marked a turning point in the decline of ancient intellectual traditions. Today, Hypatia remains an icon of reason, courage, and the enduring struggle for free thought. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, when the old gods were giving way to new religions and philosophy teetered on the edge of theological dogma, a woman named Hypatia stood as a symbol of intellectual resilience. Born in the 4th century CE in the Egyptian city of Alexandria—a city famed for its great library and vibrant confluence of cultures—Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Unusually for her time, she was not only well-educated but revered as a public…
How Metaphors Shape Thought
08/02/2025
Metaphors are not just literary flourishes but cognitive tools that structure how we perceive, reason, and decide. Research shows that metaphor activates sensory and motor regions of the brain, linking abstract thought to physical experience. The metaphors we use in politics, therapy, marketing, and self-reflection shape our beliefs and behaviors in powerful, often unconscious ways. Recognizing this can help us use language more mindfully—and reshape how we think. When we say someone “exploded with anger” or “wrestled with an idea,” we’re not being literal. But we’re not just being poetic either. These metaphors, common in everyday speech, do more than decorate our sentences—they mold the way we think. Neuroscience and linguistics increasingly suggest that metaphor is not a flourish of language, but the very scaffolding of cognition.
The Psychology of Collecting: From Stamps to NFTs
07/29/2025
Collecting taps into deep psychological needs, offering control, identity, and pleasure. Evolutionary instincts, dopamine rewards, and nostalgia all help explain why people amass objects—from stamps to NFTs. Digital collectibles challenge old definitions but echo timeless desires for meaning and ownership. At its best, collecting is a form of self-expression; at its worst, it risks compulsion—but always reflects something fundamentally human. Sylwia Filipiak, Limited-edition stamp collection with Tomasz Młynarczyk photographs, CC BY-SA 4.0
Can a City Have a Personality?
07/31/2025
Cities often feel like they have personalities—Paris is romantic, New York is ambitious—because urban environments shape and reflect human behavior. Factors like design, demographics, and cultural narratives all contribute to a city’s “character.” Though not fixed, these identities influence both how people act within cities and how cities are perceived from the outside. In essence, a city's personality is a collaborative illusion that becomes real through shared belief and experience. We often talk about cities as if they were people. Paris is romantic, New York is ambitious, Tokyo is efficient, and New Orleans is soulful. These descriptions aren’t just poetic metaphors—they reflect a longstanding human tendency to anthropomorphize places. But beyond quaint expressions, is it possible for a city to actually have a personality? Can urban environments exhibit consistent traits that shape how we experience them, and how they “behave” in return?
Person From History—Hypatia of Alexandria
08/02/2025
Hypatia of Alexandria was a brilliant 4th-century philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who taught Neoplatonic philosophy in a time of religious and political upheaval. Revered for her intellect and virtue, she became a symbol of classical wisdom during the rise of Christianity. Her violent death at the hands of a Christian mob marked a turning point in the decline of ancient intellectual traditions. Today, Hypatia remains an icon of reason, courage, and the enduring struggle for free thought. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, when the old gods were giving way to new religions and philosophy teetered on the edge of theological dogma, a woman named Hypatia stood as a symbol of intellectual resilience. Born in the 4th century CE in the Egyptian city of Alexandria—a city famed for its great library and vibrant confluence of cultures—Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Unusually for her time, she was not only well-educated but revered as a public…
The Politics of Using Silence as Power
08/02/2025
This article explores how silence functions as a strategic and political tool across contexts. From courtroom rights to protest movements, diplomatic tactics to artistic expression, silence can serve as resistance, protection, or control. Yet it can also be coerced or complicit, depending on who is silenced and why. Ultimately, silence is never empty—it is a powerful communicative act that demands deeper attention. Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States, End Islamophobia, Silent Protest at Union Station, Washington DC (33436090976), CC BY-SA 2.0
How Time Took Over the World
07/25/2025
Time wasn’t always a master—once, it was a companion guided by sun and season. The invention of mechanical clocks and the rise of industrial society turned time into a rigid overlord. As global synchronization took hold, the human experience became ruled by deadlines and alarms. But in today’s digital blur, there's a growing push to reclaim time’s humanity. © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, Big Ben at sunset - 2014-10-27 17-30, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Sunk Cost Society: Why We Can’t Let Go
07/25/2025
The sunk cost society is one where past investments hold present actions hostage, from personal relationships to national policies. Rooted in a psychological aversion to waste, this mindset discourages letting go even when persistence is damaging. Institutions, governments, and individuals alike fall prey to it, mistaking endurance for wisdom. But real growth comes from knowing when to walk away—and having the courage to do it. In economics, the “sunk cost fallacy” refers to our irrational tendency to keep investing time, money, or energy into something simply because we’ve already invested so much. But this isn’t just a quirk of individual decision-making—it’s become a defining trait of modern society. From outdated policies to bloated bureaucracies and personal relationships we can’t walk away from, we are living in a sunk cost society: one that clings to the past for fear of wasting it.
What Happens to Your Data After You Die
07/21/2025
Our digital lives don't end when we do. From ghost accounts and legal gray zones to AI memorials and digital wills, the fate of your data after death is both eerie and urgent. Companies benefit, algorithms continue learning, and our memories persist—sometimes uncomfortably—online. Planning your digital afterlife might be the most modern form of legacy there is. The 21st century has brought us many conveniences—instant messaging, cloud backups, facial recognition. But it’s also brought us an existential quandary fit for Black Mirror: What happens to your data after you die? Your emails, Instagram selfies, Google search history, unread Slack messages, and even your biometric data—do they pass into the digital ether? Or do they haunt the internet forever, spectral remnants of your online self?
Person From History—Hypatia of Alexandria
08/02/2025
Hypatia of Alexandria was a brilliant 4th-century philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who taught Neoplatonic philosophy in a time of religious and political upheaval. Revered for her intellect and virtue, she became a symbol of classical wisdom during the rise of Christianity. Her violent death at the hands of a Christian mob marked a turning point in the decline of ancient intellectual traditions. Today, Hypatia remains an icon of reason, courage, and the enduring struggle for free thought. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, when the old gods were giving way to new religions and philosophy teetered on the edge of theological dogma, a woman named Hypatia stood as a symbol of intellectual resilience. Born in the 4th century CE in the Egyptian city of Alexandria—a city famed for its great library and vibrant confluence of cultures—Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Unusually for her time, she was not only well-educated but revered as a public…
Wisdom from Forgotten Civilizations
07/31/2025
Mainstream philosophy often overlooks the rich wisdom of ancient, non-Western civilizations. Cultures like the Indus Valley, Nok, Aboriginal Australians, and the Moche expressed deep philosophical insights through architecture, ritual, and art rather than texts. Their worldviews emphasized ecological balance, community ethics, and spiritual interconnectedness. Rediscovering these forgotten philosophies offers a broader, more inclusive understanding of human thought. A rendering of an Indus Valley civilization.
The Great Books: Why We Still Read Them
07/29/2025
The Great Books are a curated collection of influential texts that have shaped Western thought across literature, philosophy, science, and history. Popularized by Adler and Hutchins in the mid-20th century, they represent a “Great Conversation” of ideas spanning centuries. While the canon has been criticized for its lack of diversity, its enduring value lies in the deep, unresolved questions these works pose. More than relics, the Great Books remain tools for reflection, debate, and intellectual growth. rdsmith4, Great Books, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cellular Design and the Divine Blueprint
07/23/2025
This article explores the possibility of God's existence through the lens of cellular biology, genetic structure, and life's fine-tuned complexity. It draws on Lee Strobel's arguments in The Case for a Creator, highlighting how DNA, alleles, and molecular machinery suggest intention. Scientific observations of irreducible complexity, precise natural constants, and the mystery of consciousness challenge a purely accidental view of life. Ultimately, it proposes that science may be whispering a divine signature behind the design. It’s easy to think of science and religion as eternal rivals, each waving the banner of truth from opposite corners. But what if the microscopic building blocks of life—cells, alleles, and the very alphabet of DNA—suggested not chaos or randomness, but intention? What if, hidden in the folds of genetic code and the awe-inspiring machinery of biology, there was evidence of an architect, a designer, a God?
How Metaphors Shape Thought
08/02/2025
Metaphors are not just literary flourishes but cognitive tools that structure how we perceive, reason, and decide. Research shows that metaphor activates sensory and motor regions of the brain, linking abstract thought to physical experience. The metaphors we use in politics, therapy, marketing, and self-reflection shape our beliefs and behaviors in powerful, often unconscious ways. Recognizing this can help us use language more mindfully—and reshape how we think. When we say someone “exploded with anger” or “wrestled with an idea,” we’re not being literal. But we’re not just being poetic either. These metaphors, common in everyday speech, do more than decorate our sentences—they mold the way we think. Neuroscience and linguistics increasingly suggest that metaphor is not a flourish of language, but the very scaffolding of cognition.
The Biome Switch: When Ecosystems Collide
07/31/2025
The phenomenon of biome switching—where one ecosystem morphs into another—reflects a planet under stress and transformation. As climate change, human activity, and environmental feedback loops push biomes to collide, species and landscapes are being reshaped at unprecedented speeds. This reordering of nature brings both ecological risks and novel opportunities, challenging scientists, conservationists, and our own cultural sense of place. As boundaries blur, we must rethink what nature is—and how we live within it. The planet’s natural environments are delicately arranged into biomes—vast ecological zones like tundras, deserts, grasslands, and rainforests—each with their own climate, flora, and fauna. But what happens when these neatly bordered biomes start to blur, bump, or even break into each other? As climate change, deforestation, and human expansion push ecosystems out of balance, we’re witnessing a new and profound phenomenon: the biome switch. This is not just a…
What Is Ayurveda?
07/13/2025
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian wellness system that emphasizes holistic balance through the interplay of mind, body, and spirit. It centers around the three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—and uses personalized approaches like diet, herbs, and daily rituals to maintain health. In contrast to quick fixes, it encourages long-term self-awareness and preventative care. As modern science begins to validate its insights, Ayurveda is experiencing a global resurgence—one that invites us to slow down and realign. In a world hooked on overnight fixes and fast-moving wellness trends, Ayurveda (pronounced "ah-yur-veh-da") offers something radically different: a 5,000-year-old system that believes true health is a long-term relationship between body, mind, and spirit. Born in the Indian subcontinent and rooted in Sanskrit texts like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, Ayurveda translates to “the science of life.” But unlike Western medicine’s emphasis on pathology and…
What Is Mindfulness?
07/29/2025
Mindfulness is the art of paying attention to the present moment with acceptance and awareness. Rooted in ancient meditation traditions, it has become a scientifically validated tool for mental and emotional well-being. While critics warn of its commercialization, its core practice remains deeply transformative. In a world of distraction, mindfulness offers clarity, calm, and connection. Mindfulness is both ancient and astonishingly modern. At its core, it is the practice of paying purposeful attention to the present moment, non-judgmentally. That sounds simple, even quaint, but it’s a discipline with roots in Buddhist meditation practices dating back over 2,500 years. Today, it’s found everywhere from corporate wellness programs to elementary school classrooms, clinical therapy sessions, and smartphone apps. So why the global obsession with a practice that essentially tells us to “just be”?
When Healthy Eating Becomes an Obsession
07/19/2025
Orthorexia nervosa is an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating that can lead to nutritional deficiencies, anxiety, and isolation. It’s driven by rigid food rules and perfectionism, often exacerbated by social media. While not formally recognized in the DSM-5, orthorexia is increasingly acknowledged by clinicians and treated with therapy and nutritional guidance. True wellness involves flexibility, balance, and self-compassion. formulatehealth, Healthy Food - Colourful Fruit and Veg - 50191699151, CC BY 2.0
Know That Felon—Luigi Mangione
07/07/2025
Once an Ivy League engineer, Luigi Mangione’s descent into anti-corporate radicalism culminated in the 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Driven by chronic pain and ideological fervor, Mangione planned the assassination with chilling precision. Now facing both state and federal charges—including terrorism and potential death penalty—his case raises troubling questions about mental health, ideology, and American institutions. Know that felon: Luigi Mangione is a cautionary tale dressed in the language of revolution. Luigi Nicholas Mangione was once a name associated with brilliance. Born in Towson, Maryland, in 1998, he graduated valedictorian from the elite Gilman School before earning both bachelor's and master’s degrees in computer engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. His early career, including internships at Firaxis Games and TrueCar, pointed to a future filled with promise. But behind that glossy resume was a man struggling privately, slipping…
The Biome Switch: When Ecosystems Collide
07/31/2025
The phenomenon of biome switching—where one ecosystem morphs into another—reflects a planet under stress and transformation. As climate change, human activity, and environmental feedback loops push biomes to collide, species and landscapes are being reshaped at unprecedented speeds. This reordering of nature brings both ecological risks and novel opportunities, challenging scientists, conservationists, and our own cultural sense of place. As boundaries blur, we must rethink what nature is—and how we live within it. The planet’s natural environments are delicately arranged into biomes—vast ecological zones like tundras, deserts, grasslands, and rainforests—each with their own climate, flora, and fauna. But what happens when these neatly bordered biomes start to blur, bump, or even break into each other? As climate change, deforestation, and human expansion push ecosystems out of balance, we’re witnessing a new and profound phenomenon: the biome switch. This is not just a…
Transgender Athletes and Redefining Fair Play
07/30/2025
The participation of transgender women in women’s sports has raised significant questions about competitive fairness and physiological advantages from male puberty. Lia Thomas’s NCAA championship win brought national attention to this issue, leading to changes in sports policy and legal settlements. Brittney Griner is often mistakenly included in this debate, but she is a cisgender woman with no connection to transgender eligibility controversies. The conversation continues to evolve as sports organizations and governments navigate the balance between inclusion and fairness. Lorie Shaull, Sylvia Fowles and Brittney Griner, CC BY-SA 4.0