Part III of the "Fundamental Problem" Series

Part II of the "Fundamental Problem" Series

Part I of the "Fundamental Problem" Series

Though Nietzsche himself was not a nihilist in the broad sense, reading Beyond Good and Evil has given me many thoughts on how nihilism manifests itself in the of an average student. His sharp criticism of the superficial moral structures which dominate most philosophical discussion also put me in the mood to criticize the most impactful...

Recently I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the world in which we live, and the one which we will leave behind, and it's led me to an interesting, and rather pessimistic, view of reincarnation. To attempt to analyze all of the flaws in modern society would be futile, simply because they are too numerous to even consider...

Part II of II on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: My thoughts on the assault on the "self".

Part I of II on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: My Thoughts on Objectivism.

I recently came upon my middle school yearbook during my weekend back home, and the experience was quite melancholy. I first opened the book to see the dozens of signatures scrawled on the inside front cover because the actual signature page was full. I found myself thinking, "Did I really know all these people? What happened to them? Are they...

When I was in high school we'd get asked a lot of icebreakers (most of which were really stupid), but one which I always appreciated was "What's your favorite kind of music?", because I think that it's possible to discern a lot about a person through what they listen to. A common answer to this question was, "I like all...

As I prepared to depart India, one question loomed over my head, and almost forced itself upon me; it would not go unanswered. Is found myself wondering, considering, silently musing on what I would be now, a man of nearly 20 years in age, had I grown up in India. It's the classic nature vs. nurture debate. Of course, my...

Is there anything so sickening as watching a gentle beast blighted by a malice of your own design? Even worse, when that poor animal is so maimed and so beyond help that death is the best recourse? The war waged by humans on nature has brought wanton death to our little blue planet, and the struggle is known (though...

Dwelling some more on that contradiction I mentioned in the Delhi post led me to realize that the people of India are at the same time its greatest strength and weakness. I did not expect to find such hardiness from them, but I was similarly shocked to discover such bureaucracy and laziness, though of that I have little experience;...