Author Archives: klkamath

Philip Freeman ends his book by asking the questions, how could Hannibal have defeated the Romans and what would that have changed historically and for us today. This is the usual way speculations about alternatives in history are framed. Like Freeman’s view generally, the speculations focus on single individuals. I am less interested in sharingContinue reading “History Reimagined Beyond Rome and Hannibal”

When it comes to post-Newtonian physics, let’s take General Relativity, it is easy for most of us to ignore it in our daily lives and in our thinking. The fundamentals of General Relativity are relatively easy to understand. We experience these things firsthand and the examples can be related in simple scenarios involving elevators inContinue reading “More Thoughts on Thinking and Expression of Ideas: How Thinking Is Not Fundamentally Scientific”

I not so recently returned from an expedition on a terrestrial planet. We have technology for such journeys already and have had for some time, although most people most of the time seem unaware. This place was inhabited by beings not unlike ourselves. They had very similar institutions and a set of cultures they themselvesContinue reading “To Let the Dead”

Fear is a strong motivator. The risk of losing has a stronger influence on decisions than an equal statistical chance for gaining, even when the reward is greater than the potential loss. This is a human condition, however, and can be overcome. It just takes more effort and requires us to pay attention. The fearContinue reading “Intensional Tension”

As humans we live inside sets of conditions analogous to the way we live in our bodies. We are aware of the parts but only give them much attention when something seems to be a problem. As I type this I am aware of my feet and fingers but I am not thinking deeply aboutContinue reading “Conditions of Human Being”

A few days ago, an excerpt from Hemingways’ short story, “Fathers and Sons” reminded me of something that happened in a college class. It was a course focused on Hemingway at the College of Creative Studies (CCS), one of the colleges at UC Santa Barbara, taught by Alan Stephens. Before sharing this anecdote, I hadContinue reading “Looking Back: Hemingway’s “Fathers and Sons” – Revisited in an Anecdote”

Send me no send me’s, oh, darling, you send me! When I asked for flowers you said, “Behold! I am flowers! My presence is a gift, of which my absence will only make you more aware.” True, your beauty remains here lingering in my mind, and I long for you nearly all the time. YourContinue reading “Send Me – No!”

Some days I feel like the greyhound that caught the artificial rabbit. Or should that be the cheetah that caught the mechanical bull? Last week I had one of those days and nobody noticed, which allowed me to slink back into the doghouse where I usually find myself in relation to the vast majority ofContinue reading “Will Bark for Byte of Spectacled Spaniels, Dawg: Film at Eleven”

It stands to reason that there may be in human brain chemistry, outside what is in our minds and in our identified social psychology, cycles of behavior for individuals (if we can even at a certain point persist with an absolute concept of discrete, entirely separate members of our species) and for social groups, includingContinue reading “Cycles in Human Historical Behavior Based on Neurology and Brain Chemistry”

Kevin M. Kruse, PhD and the Princetonian Daily Rag I dislike certain journalistic styles. If it’s too hip and filled with vitriol, open ridicule and vulgar cuss words, it is more offensive than casual exchanges with the same tidbits. If it represents itself as “reporting,” it had best mind its P’s and Q’s. On theContinue reading “Before It Gets Away…Just Slip It Under the Door”