Babies Have Self-Awareness From The Minute They’re Born (STUDY)

Babies Have Self-Awareness From The Minute They're Born (STUDY). This is a significant discovery.  Previously it wasn't thought that babies had self awareness until around 18 months.  More evidence that our brains come with a lot of preprogramming, that we are not born blank slates. It also calls into question the previous gold standard of … Continue reading Babies Have Self-Awareness From The Minute They’re Born (STUDY) →

The Truth about the Caveman Diet! | Psychology Today

Anthropologists Frederick Coolidge and Thomas Wynn on The Truth about the Caveman Diet! | Psychology Today. Many readers will have heard of the ‘caveman diet,’ also known as the ‘paleo diet,’ an eating regime based on the premise that we should eat what our ancestors ate over the course of human evolution. More specifically, it suggests that we … Continue reading The Truth about the Caveman Diet! | Psychology Today →

Do cockroaches have a form of consciousness? – Brandon Keim – Aeon

Do cockroaches have a form of consciousness? – Brandon Keim – Aeon. An interesting essay exploring to what degree roaches, worms, and bees have consciousness .  I have to admit that, from the time I first heard about cyborg cockroaches, I've found it a disturbing concept, despite the fact that I usually don't hesitate to … Continue reading Do cockroaches have a form of consciousness? – Brandon Keim – Aeon →

Why FTL travel is unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future

I'm a big fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, and the space opera genre.  The future I would most hope for the human race would be for us to spread out among the stars and become an interstellar species.  Now, assuming we don't drive ourselves extinct, I do think we will eventually become an interstellar … Continue reading Why FTL travel is unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future →

Views on End-of-Life Medical Treatments | Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project

Pew has a number of articles up today showing poll results of Americans' views on end-of-life medical treatments, suicide, and related issues.  I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised to see the enlightened views held by a majority of Americans, most of whom believe it would be acceptable to allow someone in a great deal … Continue reading Views on End-of-Life Medical Treatments | Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project →

A Society Without Marriage? | Psychology Today

Nigel Barber has a post up discussing a society without marriage, at least as we understand it, and its implications for the future of marriage in western societies. Anthropologists are constantly pointing out that the range of human behavior is vast.  Whenever people start thinking they've figured out the human condition, it always pays to … Continue reading A Society Without Marriage? | Psychology Today →

Countering emotion with logic is often not effective

Massimo Pigliucci posted yesterday: Rationally Speaking: Irrationality, a personal study, his personal frustration in a conversation with a relative who, despite being a fairly rational person, had an emotional aversion to gay marriage.  Massimo lamented the difficulty in convincing people to approach things rationally. I think trying to counter emotional positions with logic is a tricky … Continue reading Countering emotion with logic is often not effective →