It is not enough to say people believe what they want to believe. They will also believe it in the face of irrefutable counter-evidence and millennia of fundamental proof.
Our minds operate somewhat like water filters that are designed to eliminate elements determined by the ego to be detrimental to its agenda.
We become fearless only when we can turn fear around and face it, get to know it, release resistance to it, and open our hearts.
While working on one of my garden plots in Seattle this weekend, an old neighbor stopped to chat for a while and I was stunned to hear him regurgitate...
Just as a sponge can only take on water after being wrung out, so too must we be able -- regardless of our experience or education -- to continually renounce our own fullness, lest we become bloated and stale.
We are indeed an exceptional country, and we should celebrate that. But patriotism also means calling our nation out for its problems and troubles. Here are my top four patriotic criticisms of Americans that I wish a politician would articulate.
Given the impoverished state of American literacy, is it any wonder that negative political ads, so filled with half-truths, misleading statements and boldface lies, have had such an impact on millions of adults?
There's an information blockade in America and it must be broken. In order to find crucial facts, numbers and outside perspectives a person must spend an hour searching and cross-searching on the computer.
The dirty little secret about tourists is that they often go to exactly the places they should.
Brigham Young University isn't exactly known for its diverse student population. In fact, just 176 out of the Utah school's 30,000 students are Africa...
There are two truths to growing up and living in Chicago. The first truth was given to me, that being that Chicago is a very diverse city. The second truth is that Chicago is a very segregated city.
The consensus as I've experienced as a researcher is that (1) ignorant political attacks will not affect our ability to get work done, and (2) it is not our job to help the public understand our work. I think both claims are wrong, and potentially dangerous to the future of science.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The message is so simple yet so hard for us to swallow.
Our deepest fear is the fear of the unknown. Our present life may be stressful, demanding and challenging but at least it is familiar, whereas change implies unfamiliar, unknown territory.
Here are some absolutely undeniable givens that prove Americans don't care about education.
In the space of suspense, we often find more possibilities than if we prematurely close down a conversation with answers. Learning how to not know is a key skill that may benefit us in our lives.
The rich and complex identity of Muslim American communities is now personified by a terrorist leader who suffered from narcissism and a compulsive need to release YouTube videos.
In the 6th century BC, the shrewd general and philosopher developed his influential military strategy against the backdrop of China's "Warring States" era. It is, unfortunately, more applicable than ever.
The culture of anti-science is creating an alternative universe of meaning in which scientific practices and findings, which tend to subvert fundamentalist social and cultural and political principles, are suspect and/or dismissed.
Perhaps conservatives realize that their attractiveness is dependent on ignorance at many levels: ignorance of the Constitution; ignorance of the importance of science; ignorance of their own ignorance.
For a blogger who's been posting about everything under the political sun in 2010, this year brings with it a particular challenge embodied in the que...
What do Kermit the Frog, Vinny from the Jersey Shore, President Obama, and Ke$ha have in common?
As the power of science increases, certain segments of the population cling to religion and popular myths in order to defend against reason and expertise. They are now quickly becoming corporate pawns.
(This article originally appeared in Newsweek Japan on October 28, 2010 in Japanese) "Do you really like living in Tokyo?" is a question I am often a...
The Inquisitions were infamous for their intolerance and hostility to science. Six centuries later, we still have wannabe inquisitors among us, and they are growing their ranks through the support of like-minded candidates.
