"War, unh, Good god, y'all, What is it good for?" Well, apparently we have an answer to that question now. War is good for getting more cows, which is of course good for getting more women, which is essential to maxing out how many babies you sire. And from a woman's perspective, hooking up with... Continue Reading →
Awe-full
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and more steadily we reflect on them - the starry heavens above and the moral law within.” -Immanuel Kant Have you ever been awestruck? It's a truly palpable feeling, hence the bolt-of-lightning idiom often associated with it. Awe is often accompanied... Continue Reading →
Philosophiae Trivialis
Philosophy attempts to answer some of the most profound questions: what is truth, what is beauty, what is the meaning of life, how do you know that you believe you have socks on? Well, maybe the latter question wasn't foremost on the mind of Socrates. But, in a New York Times article, Professor Quassim Cassam... Continue Reading →
Unscientific Americans
Which statement most closely describes how you feel: 1. I care about all people (even if they're from another country), the environment, and the future of our planet. 2. I care about people (especially people from my country and people like me), the environment (especially my environment), and my kids. 3. I care about middle class Americans... Continue Reading →
Are You an Asshole?
Is there such a thing as an honest-to-God, real-life asshole? This was the debate my brother Zach and I had after hiking the mountain passes in Colorado. I was on the pro-asshole side, while Zach argued that nobody is truly an asshole. Our debate was a rather sucky one as debates go, and quickly ended at an impasse.... Continue Reading →
How to Get Things Done Well: Be Quarter-Assed
Half-assed outcomes can be categorized as tangible or intangible. Tangible half-assedness occurs when the product of work is subpar. Half-assed work can include everything from an insufficiently cleaned room to a shoddy construction job to a poorly written term paper (or blog post*). Half-assed work arises when the project is done too hastily, without focus, or simply... Continue Reading →
Are You a Grotesque?
The one and only time I tried acid, in my senior year of high school, my fellow trippers and I figured out how the universe works. It's all spheres, everything is spheres. Humans are spheres and we have multiple size spheres that interact with almost infinite other spheres. From atoms to planets to stars, all objects... Continue Reading →
Seneca: Letters from a Stoic, Part II
In Part I of this edition of Poppa's Notes, I briefly discussed and then summarized Seneca's "Letters from a Stoic" (aka "Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium"). Seneca wrote these letters to his friend Lucilius. Here's Part II: 78 - Sorry to hear you've been sick, Lucilius. Now buck up, li'l soldier - you can overcome it with your mind. An... Continue Reading →
Seneca: Letters from a Stoic, Part I
Are you sick of me talking about dead Mediterranean dudes? Well, I have one more I'd like to hype, because he fits in so well with our discussion, then I'll give it a rest for a while. Seneca was an eclectic and a Stoic. By most accounts, he was an imperfect man who didn't necessarily follow... Continue Reading →
Poppa's Cottage 