I started this post about 4 years ago, and, for whatever reason I had back then, I ran out of steam and left it to languish. But it still seems a relevant topic so am going to finish it. The source is the “The Stone,” the New York Times periodic column about philosophy by philosophers. The Times column, titled, “The Dangers of Happiness,” raises a number of important questions about the relentless “pursuit of happiness” that characterizes life in the US today (and for the past 300 years). The author, Carl Cederstrom, starts with a short, but informative, history of… Read More
Continue ReadingTabula Rasa
Having now read McGilchrist and his model of the divided brain, I keep finding other sources that both confirm and broaden his basic model. I wrote about Leonard Shlain’s Leonardo’s Brain in a recent post. Now I have another source to add. I have just finished Brain and Culture, by Bruce Wexler. (The MIT Press, 2006) While not specially about the divided brain, Wexler adds more dimensions to the divided brain model. He describes the way the brain develops that supports McGilchrist’s work, which is largely about the fully developed adult brain. Wexler is particularly interested in how the external… Read More
Continue ReadingA Green New Deal (But Not Enough)
Brought back to life by Democrats in both the US Senate (Ed Markey) and House of Representatives (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), the Green New Deal (GND) resurrects a platform proposed by the Green Party in 2006. The proposal, in the form of a Resolution, aims at both the threat of global warming and economic inequality. The key elements are: Guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States. Providing all people of the United States with – (i) high-quality health care; (ii) affordable, safe, and adequate housing;… Read More
Continue Reading