There's a meme, particularly virulent in educated circles, about how advertising works — how it sways and seduces us, coaxing us gently toward a purchase. The meme goes something like this: Rather than attempting to persuade us (via our rational, analytical minds), ads prey on our emotions. They work by… Continue Reading »

Being a person is not the essence of humanity, only... one of its many masks. — John Gray Pardon me while I scratch a little itch here in public. I'd like to describe for you a concept that I can see very clearly in my mind. I can't entirely justify… Continue Reading »

"There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network." — Guy Almes Last time we explored how your body — a tube of cogitating meat that you (sort of) identify with — isn't really a thing at all.… Continue Reading »

Some will say that 'you' are your body. That everything that happens to 'you,' happens to your body, and vice versa. That you ought to identify, therefore, with your organs and tissues, your face, your DNA, and your brain — in other words, the totality of your biological organism. Certainly… Continue Reading »

Forgive the seemingly sophomoric question, but... Who are you, exactly? Or to put it another way: Which parts or facets of the universe do you identify with? This question, so easy to ask, is all but impossible to answer in a satisfying way. If you want a hard definition, something… Continue Reading »