REFLECTION FOR THE WEEK OF February 13, 2006 “The heresy of individualism: thinking oneself a completely self-sufficient unit and asserting this imaginary ‘unity’ against all others. The affirmation of the self as simply ‘not the other.’ But when you seek to affirm your unity by denying that you have anything to do with anyone else, by negating everyone else in the universe until you come down to you: what is there left to affirm? Even if there were something to... Read more

As you may know, I am studying Daniel Dennett’s book “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” (a review) for a course on “Ethics and Evolution.” The goal of the course is a rigorous understanding of the theory of contemporary biology, its development, and more importantly, its repercussions in ethics. The French Catholic philosopher Paul Ricoeur famously labeled the “Masters of Suspicion” regarding religion as Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud. Each of these thinkers presented a critique of the very foundations of... Read more

Bless the life of the protector of the Snowy Land, Tenzin Gyatso,To remain steadfast for hundreds of eons without destruction, That his wishes be spontaneously achieved. From the long-life prayer to the present Dalai Lama, born 1935. This is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. To Tibetans he is known as ‘Kundun’ (kun dun, the All-Purposeful One), ‘Yishin Norbu’ (yi shin nor bu, the Wish-fulfilling Gem), or ‘Gyalwa Rinpoche’ (gyal wa rin po che, the Precious... Read more

Today must be the funniest/happiest day of my life. Yes. It is true. Well, maybe not. In an attempt to ‘shake it up’ for my loyal reader(s), I was thinking I’d toss together a top-ten list – we’ll see if/how that works… 10) Happy: I got 50 pounds of sushi rice at costco – sweeet, thanks Mom and Dad!9) Funny: I’ve been nominated for multiple Blogisattva awards! Blogisattva loosely translates as ‘a blog-being’ or ‘one en route to blog-hood’ –... Read more

Lord Almighty, It’s Cold! For: Missoula Tonight Chance SnowWindy Friday Sunny, WindyMostlySunnyWindy FridayNightClear,MostlyClear Saturday Sunny, MostlySunny SaturdayNightCloudy, PartlyCloudy Lo -19°F Hi 4°F Lo -24°F Hi 10°F Lo -16°F PoP 60% PoP 10% -24 degrees cold! For my friends living in the world of Celcius, that’s -31 degrees. I think at times like this we all get a little religious. I don’t recall ever hearing so much ‘Oh My God!’ or ‘Sweet Jesus…’. I suppose it’s only natural to invoke a... Read more

I am nearly midway through Daniel Dennett’s book, “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” now, and preparing to present the next chapter for class on Tuesday. Dennett is what I might call an evangelical Darwinian. Speaking of the work of biologist, Manfred Eigen, Dennett proclaims: The research of Eigen and hundreds of others has definite practical applications for all of us. It is fitting to observe, then, that this important work is an instance of Darwinism triumphant, reductionism triumphant, mechanism triumphant, materialism triumphant.... Read more

Have I complained that I’m working too much lately? Well… The nice thing is that I have a job I love, and work with wonderful, wonderful people. That said, I’ll probably cut back a few hours here and there to focus more on classes. I had wanted to get pictures about a month ago when the birds in the tree outside my window were eating the fermented berries on it. Apparently for them this is a yearly ritual. They eat... Read more

One can only know who he or she truly is when dead. No. Even then essence changes. For who we truly are, or better what we truly are is a nothingness, an emptiness, a potentiality, a spontaneity. We are that which a rock may never be, an openness to the world, capable of not just reaction, but creation. Even the tree, with her spring blossoms and fiery fall colors, her cold grey winter hibernation, is mere reactivity. Her ‘joy’ and... Read more

One of the things I studied this week was “The Baldwin Effect” (an extensive bibliography). James Baldwin was an avid Darwinian just before the turn of the 20th century. At the time, there was another theory of evolution, Lamarckian theory. According to Lamarck, an organisms body parts/organs can grow or shrink depending on usage and that these changes (acquired within the life of one organism) will be passed on to the next generation. For instance, giraffs who spend their whole... Read more

So… Another topic I’m somewhat ill-equipped to tackle, but no less than the next guy I suppose. Let me introduce three thinkers: Immanuel Kant (already a frequent visitor here), Martin Heidegger, and Jean-Paul Sartre (likely to become a regular in due course). I want to discuss how each of them did (or might have) discussed authenticity, and then give my own feeble views. To understand authenticity, I think a few conditions need to be discussed; first: how does one identify... Read more