Worldwide, one in eight people have a mental disorder such as depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. In the US, major depressive disorder affects around 7.1% of the population, and around 18.1% of Americans have anxiety disorders. There is much money to be made from giving out medication for these mental health issues. Without insurance, a 30-day …
Category Archives: Society
Publishing My Sixth Book and Reflecting on the Series
I am very excited to announce that the sixth book in my science fiction series, Chronesia, is now published! There will be eight total books in the series, so I am getting dangerously close to the end. Of course, I need not worry about leaving this fictional universe too soon, since I also have a …
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For the Greater Good: A Look at Utilitarianism
What central rule could we create that governs how laws are created and what rights the citizens of a nation receive? A rule that could define what justice itself means? One such rule is the basis of the philosophy known as utilitarianism: An action is right if and only if it maximizes happiness and minimizes …
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Reflections on the Meritocracy & Egalitarianism: Exploring More Political Philosophy
Should our society be a pure meritocracy? Most people’s intuitions are that the answer should be yes, because the idea that everyone should get their positions in a society based on their own merits and not arbitrary factors is inherently appealing. We’ve all encountered instances where a disastrously incompetent buffoon was placed into a well-paying …
Green Steps on the Great Western Railway & Chicago-Seattle Amtrak Line
The Great Western Railway is an iconic British transportation line that has been running trains since 1838. Its original locomotives were painted a striking shade of green, and soon garnered routes serving southwest and west England, as well as Wales. Over the course of its history, the GWR has switched back and forth from government …
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A Good Needle in a Burning Haystack of Terribleness: GM and Intel to Invest in New Mid-Western American Plants
Over the past few decades, the American working class has been decimated. Companies have increasingly shipped jobs overseas, a process unquestionably aided by NAFTA. Automation has taken away still further jobs that would have previously furnished a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. Many parts of the Midwest US were devastated by the neoliberal policies that began in …
Possessed by Gods: The Etymology of Enthusiasm
When someone has enthusiasm for something, they are driven to excel at it or to experience it. They greet this particular object of enthusiasm with relish. They are eager…could we even say, possessed? Perhaps we can, considering the origin of the word enthusiasm. This particular word has its origin in Ancient Greek, where the term …
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The Process of Publishing My Fifth Book!
I am very happy to say (“announce” seemed too grandiose) that I have now published the fifth book in my middle-grade science fiction series! This was a major project that I was working on over winter break, and I’m glad that I actually accomplished this. Here’s what the cover looks like: I am more certain …
YouTube Takes Away Public Dislikes: Why This is Bad
A trivial complaint? Perhaps, perhaps not. Let me try to convince you that it is at least deserving of some consideration. Almost two weeks ago, YouTube announced in a blog that it would be taking away the public dislike count for all videos, and the rollout of this policy has now begun. YouTube users will …
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Notes On Henry James’ ‘The Bostonians’
The Bostonians by Henry James is a novel that I undoubtedly would not have gotten much out of in high school. I’ve found that this is the case with many classic novels, where I just wasn’t equipped with the knowledge about the world and about human cognition to truly benefit from my readings in AP …
Green Humanist 