Scholarship is studying the entire tree, not a single leaf. Because if you are studying a rotten leaf, you'll be a "scholar" of rotten. And studying functioning leaves isn't going to give a complete picture of the tree either. My point - I am irritated by the liberal use of the word "scholar" just because…
Fear
fear...the most primal of emotions. it is an even bigger instinct than love. fear of the unknown in the bushes helped us survive predators. so everyone has fears, whether they show it or not. cowardice is giving in to fear and saying I can't do anything about it. courage is facing your fear, acknowledging you…
Do not forget about the gift of life
what if more people stopped living for the next world or stopped being obsessed about the next world and actually appreciated this world, actually lived for this world...let's say this world is all there is. if there is a next world, it is an added and amazing bonus. but if we assume this world is…
What is religious freedom?
Religious freedom is the freedom to practice a personal belief. No one should be forced to do anything that goes against their desire/wishes/beliefs. But religious freedom does not mean imposing one's beliefs on others. Neither does it mean practicing something that negatively affects others. For example, if someone is against gay marriage, they should be…
I dream a world…
Imagine a world if we removed just one sentence from our existence - "My _____ is better/True-er/Right-er/ compared to yours". Such a simple sentence, with so much power. That blank could be anything - nationality, ethnicity, religion, race, gender, and even sports team. Imagine how much hatred, prejudice, bigotry, and violence would go down with…
Keep striving for knowledge
there is always a reason, always an explanation, always an answer...for everything. just because we don't know it (yet), doesn't mean its not there. it might take us thousands of years to find it, like it has been for so many things. and the only way to it, as it has always been, is through…
Posterity is for the philosopher what the next world is for the man of religion - Denis Diderot
Who is a scholar?
A person can study one topic or field their entire life, but I wouldn't call such a person a scholar. For example, I can study how the arbitrary location of stars visible to the naked eye, at the time of a person's birth, might affect that person's behavior or personality. But no one can, or…
Intellectualism is beauty
Beauty is directly proportional to intellectualism. I don't believe stupidity is a lack of intelligence, but intellectual laziness. For me, the most attractive girl is an independent thinker who possesses intellectual curiosity. And my biggest turn off is when someone says "you are ____, therefore you are supposed to do/not do ____." No thank you,…
Urban folks vs rural folks
New York metropolitan population - 19 million. In big cities like this, you cannot survive without government. It is needed everywhere - from security to sanitation to public transportation to education...you name it. Try libertarian-ism in these cities and you will have anarchy. On the flip side, take the case of Wyoming - population half…
The Philosopher-Scientist 