Tag Archives: fear

How Doctors Die: A Great Follow-Up Essay to a Great Essay

Dr. Ken Murray has offered a follow-up essay providing some statistical support for his claim that doctors really do die differently from the rest of us (that is, they tend to “go gentle into that good night”). Here’s a taste: … Continue reading

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Confidence Fail: The Four Confidences and Atheism

It occurs to me that life turns on four confidences, three of which atheists and agnostics simply do not possess. If one wonders why so few people are atheists and agnostics, a big part of the puzzle may lie hidden here. … Continue reading

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Have you seen “The Shelter”?

It’s a Twilight Zone  episode that is philosophically interesting. I think of Rod Serling’s “The Shelter” as a profound meditation on Nietzschean v. Christian ethics, Darwinian survival of the fittest, zero-sum games, and living in a world where the civic culture … Continue reading

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The Last Cancer Generation?

Yesterday, when I walked into a class of (mostly) 20 year olds all staring back at me, I had a thought: this may be the last cancer generation. 80% of all cancers are diagnosed in people after the age of fifty, … Continue reading

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This Near Death Experiencer Says We Should Not Fear Death

She shared her experience at the 3rd Spiritual Retreat for Near Death Experiencers, St Louis, May 2008: What weight do you suppose we should give near death experiencer testimony? At one level, it’s akin to a person in Italy in … Continue reading

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H1N1: The Flu is Coming

Better get ready for it now. This today in the NY Times: The Obama administration warned Americans on Thursday to be ready for an aggressive return of the swine flu virus in the fall, announcing plans to begin vaccinations in … Continue reading

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Louis Mackey on Human Laziness and Fear

The brief excerpt below is from the stylized philosophy documentary, Waking Life. Speaking is the philosopher Louis Mackey. If his voice is familiar, it’s because he was tapped to play the anarchist in the film Slackers :  Mackey: “[W]hat are these … Continue reading

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Tissues and Sanitizing Hand Wipes: Two Inexpensive Things That You Need to Buy and Use Now to Protect Yourself, and Your Family, from Swine Flu

According to the New York Times today, Britain has started a new ad campaign to slow the spread of Swine Flu: In Britain on Thursday, authorities launched an advertising campaign urging people to sneeze into tissues and to wash their … Continue reading

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