1. What is autonomy? Autonomy: Immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority; personal independence. Personal autonomy, then, is the condition in which I, not another, govern myself. Is this autonomy based upon the edict of a government? Is it conferred upon me by the society in which I live? No. Since I am the only "agent... More..

Do We Need God in Order to be Good? (Part 2) According to statistics I have seen, taking one particular measure (divorce rate), those who profess a born again experience are just as likely to get divorced as those who do not. (Some studies show that divorce rates decrease as church attendance rates increase. This can easil... More..

I live in Florida. As it turns out a significant portion of my State is what's known as "reclaimed land." That means, apparently, that some kind of water, either sea, lake or swamp, at some time, came and took our land. Just stole it, right out from under us. Well, we weren't having any of that. So we went in with our heavy m... More..

Everyone is trying to sell you the fastest way to personal development. Whether the goal is to lose 20 pounds, get a body as shredded as an anatomy illustration, or become successful in your business, they tell you it can be done "in only 2 weeks!" Or that all it'll take is "just 15 minutes a day!" Qualities that realisticall... More..

I read a little book a while ago, so long ago that I don't remember anything about it except one analogy. The author compared raising children through adolescence to putting them into a river right at the start of some rapids (in a canoe or some other small personal watercraftI told you I don't remember much about it), and wa... More..

Although we can't know this for certain, it seems likely that we are alone in the animal kingdom in this respect: We search for meaning. We want to know why. Perhaps my fish, as they swim up and down their tank, are thinking, "Why am I stuck here in this godforsaken place?" Unlikely, but possible I suppose. More probably it i... More..

Do We Need God in Order to be Good? (Part 1) This question has been asked and answered by many people, of whom, some are probably a bit brighter than I am. Nevertheless, it is a question that I must ask and answer for myself, for my own benefit and understanding. If you find the question to be important, perhaps this artic... More..