Kirk blAug

In the circles of skeptic thinkers and bloggers, a phrase often echoes, "Be open-minded, but not so much that your brain falls out." While not attributed with certainty, it's most commonly linked to Walter Kotschnig, a voice of the early 20th century. This clever quip, however, isn't just about skepticism in the intellectual sense. It's a concept that resonates deeply when we talk about empathy, especially in the context of personal relationships. Kotschnig's era, marked by significant societal and scientific upheaval, mirrors today's world in many ways. Just as then, we are constantly challenged to discern truth from fiction, sincerity from manipulation. The quote serves as a reminder: be receptive, yet discerning. This balance is not only crucial in intellectual debates, as often seen in discussions between atheists and Christians, but also in how we manage our emotional investments. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, i

I get a little peeved when someone says to my son, "do you have a girlfriend?" or, "is that your girlfriend?" or some other such sexual orientation attribution. Why do people think it is okay to lay the groundwork for orientation long before children even have any interest in sexual mates? I think it seems a bit presumptuous. Say my son does one day realize that he prefers the company of others of the same sex where intimate matters are concerned. With a lifetime of build up of this expectation that he is supposed to prefer the opposite gender, he will undoubtedly feel guilty for going against the expectations of all the people he has grown to admire. I think the expectation that people need to pair up at all is ridiculous. Just because some of us choose to make a commitment to be with someone does not mean that one should have to be looked upon as a social outcast if that is not their own desire. I was single and in no relationship for years before I started dating