Back in the day, when Einstein was grappling with a general theory of relativity, which in turn gave rise to curvature of space, he also envisioned a case where something could, through gravitational force, shrink down into an immensely massive area whose gravity would pull in even light photons. Since light could not pass close …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
The Art of Persuasion
As an undergraduate, I majored in physics and minored in secondary (middle school and high school) education. In addition to a full complement of physics courses, I also learned biology, chemistry, and geology. Among my education courses was one in adolescent psychology where we explored how people process information and develop beliefs. There is a …
Social Evolution
I believe that early Homo Sapiens formed groups of extended families living an essentially nomadic life where they picked the low-hanging fruit, learned to hunt other mammals and fish, and developed unspoken rules for how to get along as they roamed. If our species is a million years old, this is how they subsisted for …
SEX AND POWER
I am still grappling with what motivates people to amass fortunes, to lord themselves over others, and both. When I look at other animals for clues, it is not much help. The alpha wolves, silver-back gorillas, and that ilk seem to take on that role primarily for reproductive advantage for the group. It’s a DNA …
Virus
Beginning in March of 2020, with some hints in February, the world was essentially stunned by a pandemic caused by SARS-Cov2 virus, a so-called “Corona” virus. I find it humbling that humans, those superior beings on Planet Earth, have been repeatedly vanquished by the smallest, most primitive, proto-lifeform. My first thoughts when Covid 19 was …
Death and Dying
As far as I can observe, humans are the only animal who think about death. Most animals have the “fight or flight” instinct baked in but I don’t believe they consider the possibility that they may die. That said, I know my dog knows when something is dead. I just don’t think she projects that …
The Meaning of Love
We use the word “love” to mean so many things. We “make love;” we love ideas; we love inanimate things. I believe love is a lot simpler than that. The first time an animal stayed with its eggs and fed, protected and nurtured its off spring, love came into existence. At first living things simply …
When Man Created God
Perhaps a million years ago, as homo sapiens evolved from earlier hominids, our brains were more complex than those of our predecessors, and we developed unique capabilities: drawing, speaking, and the ability to think abstractly. Prior to that, I believe, like all other animals, we simply adapted to our environments and tried to survive and …
My Frame of Reference
I was born about a year after the end of World War II in a small suburb of New York City. My father had served in the Pacific and returned a year before I was born. My mother was a housewife and I had one older brother. My first house was a row house and …
The Big Picture
I live on a planet orbiting a star we call “the Sun.” Our star is one star in a galaxy of hundreds of billions of stars. Our galaxy is one of a hundred billion galaxies in what we call “the Universe.” I’m not sure if there is only one universe or multiple universes. Our universe …