The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e., the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e., the standards of thought) no longer exist. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism Imagine a child,… Continue reading “Both Sides”
Mythology, Religion, & Hollywood: Systems of Control or Morality Plays?
If we imagine the shape of the adoption of new morality like a wave, the adopters of the newest morality would be the crest of the wave while most are far behind them.
The Case for Plant Consciousness
Are brains a prerequisite for consciousness? Holoprosencephaly is a cephalic disorder in which the prosencephalon fails to develop into two hemispheres. In lay terms, there is no brain atop the brain stem. What of a baby with no brain? Could it think? Could it form language? The answer is yes. Baby born without most of… Continue reading The Case for Plant Consciousness
Super Human: The Mailing List!
YA, Supernatural Fantasy, Magical Realism At the crossroads of supernatural and human potential, an anxious teen finds a mystical world within himself, unleashing powers he didn’t know he had. Will Freeman is more anxious than other teens. When his new friend Lily Powers invites herself over, and the two go treasure hunting in his attic,… Continue reading Super Human: The Mailing List!
The QAnon Shaman and The Three Sides of Apophenia
Apophenia as Delusion Reed Berkowitz’s piece, A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon, insightfully noted how Apophenia drives people into the Cult of QAnon. Jacob Chansley, a.k.a. the QAnon Shaman, it has been pointed out, “displays strong aspects of what psychologists call ‘patternicity,’ which is to see hidden patterns, meanings, and agency behind what others would… Continue reading The QAnon Shaman and The Three Sides of Apophenia
The Social Dilemma, So-Called Objective Reality, and Higher Mind
What we regard as objective reality is but a convenience, a virtual representation, created by us, aiding in our quest for reproduction.1 Cognitive psychologist Donald Hoffman uses the analogy of the computer Desktop. The Desktop isn’t an accurate representation of the alternating voltages inside a computer, but it sure is helpful for us to get… Continue reading The Social Dilemma, So-Called Objective Reality, and Higher Mind