Three recent trends in religious affiliation are getting some attention. It is no secret that there are significantly more “nones” (those who are unaffiliated with religion) in The United States. The religious in the U.S. are not, however, the only people in the Americas who are pushing these numbers higher. Canada and Mexico are

My newest article, “Do the Beliefs of Others Infuriate You?” is up at The Huffington Post. This piece is an attempt to explain some guiding principles that I try to use for myself when engaging those who have beliefs that I disagree with, especially when they are frustratingly bad beliefs. The points I make

How did you learn the alphabet? Did it involve a picture book which taught you that “D stands for dog” and “B stands for bear,” each punctuated by cute images of animals? That’s how a normal person might do it, but the Puritans preferred scaring their children into literacy.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life just released a new report on the world’s Muslims. The survey covered 39 countries and the issues addressed by the study are clearly connected to the concerns raised on network news. Issues range from the implementation of sharia to popular culture, with some important attention given

Researchers have created a brain to brain interface (BBI for short). While that alone should be impressive enough, what comes next is astounding; it works between two different species: human and rat (see video below). BBI allowed a human brain to move a rat’s tail with about “94-percent accuracy.” The experiment involved a non-invasive,

This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works John Brockman (Editor) Harper Perennial, 2013 432 pages (Kindle edition) Available Amazon

When I was kid, I had no notion of age-appropriate books. I just read anything and everything I could get my hands on. Why change now? I’m still a promiscuous reader; the only difference today is that I proactively look for great picture books, middle grade books, and young adult novels to make sure

When we began The Discarded Image in 2009, the main purpose of the blog was to provide a place for Mindy (my co-contributor) and me to explore fresh perspectives on the world and its future. While that purpose has remained, we’ve discovered that our scope and interests have traveled a bit. So we’ve made