What is science?
OR, TO PUT IT another way: what isn’t science? Why do we call physics and chemistry sciences, but not astrology or crystal healing? That’s the question that interested the philosopher Karl Popper. His conclusion was that it’s all a question of proof. It’s not a question of proving that a theory is true, which Popper […]
Wile E Samarra
AN ANCIENT LEGEND tells of a rich Indian merchant who sends his servant to the market. In the marketplace the servant encounters Death, who has a startled look on his face. Terrified, the servant flees to the city of Samarra to escape him. Later, the merchant himself finds Death, and asks him why he frightened […]
Cogito ergo sum
RENE DESCARTES’ famous statement, cogito ergo sum – I think, therefore I am – was the result of taking his doctrine of universal doubt to extreme levels. Sitting in his study, Descartes tried to discover what he absolutely, certainly knew to be true, as opposed to what he merely believed to be true. The phrase […]
Yin Yang Ching
THE I CHING is an ancient Chinese divination process. To use it, you first think of a question to which you need the answer. You then throw a bunch of yarrow stalks (or if yarrow isn’t available on Amazon, toss a coin) to produce one of two results. These may produce a broken line (Yin) […]