Dear straight man
Your attraction to women is a good thing. Not only is it vital to human propagation, it’s a vital part of you. Female closeness is one of your passions, and …
An antidote to arrogance
It’s a simple trick. When you’re discussing philosophy with someone, or just thinking about it, make one small distinction concerning your personal beliefs. Separate “why do I believe this?” from …
Solace in discontinuity
If you’ve read my post about loving fiction, you know I think a lot about our linear experience of time. The unceremonious way the future skips into the past. So …
I must scream
Here are the five movie scenes that have disturbed me the most. How scary are they? Well, it just got dark outside, and I refuse to rewatch them for research. …
Desire, mutated
Desire is identity. We’re composed, in no small part, of the things we wish and long for. Whether we fulfill them or not, desires are staples of a sound human …
Sympathy punk
If I had to designate my philosophy, it would be sympathy punk.
One thing I know about kids
is that they’re very forgiving of their parents’ mistakes. They’ll let most things slide, if it means they can go back to being a happy family. If a child doesn’t …
Three types of labels
We self-apply all sorts of labels. Conservative. Atheist. Lesbian. Asian. Enby. And thousands more. But this wealth of definitions can be a contentious affair. People don’t always agree on what …
The ends and means of stories
When it comes to stories, everyone’s a critic. And they should be; narrative criticism is a vital enterprise. But that enterprise, I would argue, is marred by a major misconception. …
The human body
The human body isn’t a vessel for self-actualization. It isn’t designed to give us long, happy lives. The human body, like any animal, is a particle of an ecosystem. It’s …