Two big ideas have been the source of endless strife and much debate throughout the ages: “God” and “the State”.

I have not yet posted my work on “the State” because it requires explaining minor modifications of published frameworks. However, our present global predicament pushes me to explain here how these ideas are intrinsic to our personal functioning. We can then consider the consequences for our societies.

Given today's world, a world riven by war both declared and undeclared, we should strive to understand what is happening. More...

How could we ever do anything without power? Power empowers: yet we know power is a problem. Social interaction is the human condition—and it cannot possibly be improved without exercising power.

The problem is that it is now a universally recognised truism that power corrupts. Why? Read on for a taxonomic answer! But first let's explore some issues.

Recent academic research suggests that power heightens pre-existing ethical tendencies. But this sort of study actually avoids the power issue. It confuses «having power» with «exerting power».  Power in the political or social sense is not just being powerful or having authority, but using it on others. More specifically: “using it to get someone to do what they otherwise would not do”— More...

The food industry is poisoning the population—globally. The USA being the most advanced country is the most poisoned. The giant corporations—Kraft, Nabisco, General Mills, MacDonalds, Coca Cola, Frito-Lay, Nestle's and others—they all do it with neuroscience. They know the brain is in charge, as the neuroscientists constantly tell us, and so they address themselves to instinctive reactions. They certainly don't encourage thoughtful deliberation about whether or not to buy what is nutritious.

The food giants deliberately activate brain-based reactions for salt, sugar, fat, crunch, mouth feel, tastes, colors and other factors. The goal is to get you to More...

Elinor Ostrom asked the question: How do you get social problems fixed?  Through the power of government?  Wrong.  Through the power of the individual?  Right.

But don't we want government to fix things?  We may: but that is often abdicating our responsibility—especially when our eyes show us that political intrusion only makes things worse, wastes money, and disrupts our freedom.  And it saps our own power.  The power that we each have as individuals.

Don't social solutions need the coercive imposition of organization?  No.  They can be based on intelligent and cooperative effort byMore...

Must we battle against evil?  Evil certainly poses an issue: What to do about it.   "Doing" is a practical question, so it can be handled by THEE.

And then there is the «problem of evil»: why a God that is absolute goodness can allow suffering and cruelty to exist.  This is a philosophical question.  Most of us don’t live inside a philosophical world, although judging by blogs and websites the number of amateur philosophers seems to be exploding.  More...