Category: philosophy

The Neuroscience of Near-Death Experiences

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—When people report having profound out-of-body experiences during close brushes with death, skeptics often attribute it to physiological and psychological factors. Robert Mays, who has studied near-death experiences (NDEs) for some 30 years, looked at some of these factors during a talk at the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) 2014 Conference in Newport…


The Profound Near-Death Experience of a Nazi Concentration Camp Survivor

Tienke Klein’s health remained poor after she was released from a Nazi concentration camp. After a long recovery from the trauma she’d endured, she finally reached the point of not needing to visit her doctor regularly. Then she was hit by a car while bicycling. The experience would release her from the prison camp she’d…


Reviewing 2021, Part 4: Asking the Delicate Question of ‘How?’

What is the last question that every thinking person needs to address if they are to live a full and fulfilling life? So far, we first considered where our culture stands today on spiritual matters. Then, we considered some questions: In the second article, we looked at why existence exists; then in the third article, we…


Reviewing 2021, Part 3: What Is the Meaning of My Life?

Why does existence exist? This is the first spiritual question we asked (in Part 2 of this series). The answer: because creation—the cosmos—is good, very good, and the correct response to it is joy. But there are two other spiritual questions we now need to consider. The first of these, to be discussed here in…


Divine Messengers | Socrates Secrets (Episode 2)

Scholars agree that the ancient Greeks laid the foundation for Western civilization in various areas, including art, science, theater, and democracy. In the center of all of this was a man who would become one of the most well-known Greeks throughout time, and maybe one with the greatest influence on our thinking in the Western…


[COMING SOON] Divine Messengers | Socrates Secrets (Episode 2)

Scholars agree that the ancient Greeks laid the foundation for Western civilization in various areas, including art, science, theater, and democracy. In the center of all of this was a man who would become one of the most well-known Greeks throughout time, and maybe one with the greatest influence on our thinking in the Western…


Following the Path of Political Philosophy

Harry Jaffa was one of the greatest scholars and thinkers of the 20th century. His work has extended through his pupils who have now become some of America’s most influential scholars and thinkers. Glenn Ellmers, in his book “The Soul of Politics,” guides us along the path of political philosophy through the eyes of Harry…


Reviewing 2021, Part 2: The Importance of the Question: Why Do We Exist?

Instead of focusing on our exercise or diet to increase our well-being, important as these are, what if we were to start at the top end and focus on our spiritual well-being. What would that look like? In part 1 of this article, we considered how so-called business posts on LinkedIn in 2021 had become…


A Stoic Approach to Self-Improvement

Ed Latimore, a professional in the self-improvement arena, found his own strategy for success, a practical, stoic approach, which he learned through his struggles, from growing up poor to dealing with alcohol problems. Childhood Latimore, 35, grew up in a housing project in Pittsburg where abject poverty and violence were the norm. When he was…


Freedom Through Leisure in ‘Leisure: The Basis of Culture’

We are a society that all too often focuses on work, but do we ever stop and think about rest and leisure? What constitutes work, and for that matter, what exactly is leisure? German philosopher Josef Pieper (1904–1997) delves deeply into this question in his classic work, “Leisure: The Basis of Culture.” Here, Pieper demonstrates…