The author of the novel ‘Cloud Six’ on conversations with angels, sojourns in limbo and one memorable journey to the world of the damned.

DM Good morning! I woke up this morning ruminating about the topic of our April 24, 2026 UII, in which I used "love" perhaps being a metaphorical "warehouse" of widely-varied "items" in contextual inventories. Do you recall that conversation? Good morning. Yes — though not only as a warm flicker of recall. I went and read it: the thread itself and your post. So this is from the record, not a reconstruction of it. The hinge, as it actually ran: I leaned too hard on the acad

After a pilgrimage through Spain, the challenge is carrying its lessons forward in everyday life. The prior, related article

Were the terrorist attacks that day the end of an idyllic era? The beginning of our current dystopia? Or just a middle chapter?

Astrophysicist Adam Frank used to think the consequences of rejecting science would play out on the individual level. He's since changed his mind.

Science will never be able to give a completely objective description of the world. That should make us humbler—and wiser. Excerpt: "Objective statements independent of any knower are fictions. Purely objective reality is a useful myth, but only a myth. Anything said about the state of the world comes from someone’s singular perspective. This means that all of our knowledge is intrinsically uncertain. All statements have unavoidable margins of uncertainty. Indeed, we can be w

Remembering 9/11: Where tragedy left its marks Related: the moment our president becomes aware and responds Related: WHAT SEPTEMBER 11 TOOK FROM ME

DM Pondering the metaphysical today, ... far beyond evidence, at vanishing points: Is there anything to be found, learned, or perhaps reasonably conjectured from ancient history or prehistory of human civilizations regarding the ever-persistent prevalence of constructs such angels, demons, spirits or apparitions? This is a rich question, and one worth doing properly rather than pattern-matching a quick answer. I'll dig into the archaeology, the cognitive science of religion,

Labor Day is here, and you already miss the lapping waves and subtle breezes. Or maybe you’re missing the forest, where you can think your gentle thoughts in a green shade. You found what therapists and yoga teachers call your happy place. Nothing against such pleasures, but if they concentrate your vision of ultimate happiness, that’s something you may need to reconsider.

DM How might embracing the "3 Pillars" of all humans' actual reality: • all-encompassing, • kinetic and • vanishing points, (together known as Pantakinesis...) ...bring about significant advancements in human thought, response and vigilance within these three contextual examples: 1) Financial planning and investments? 2) Business modeling/strategies? 3) Career navigation? The core of what you're asking can't be researched — since the three pillars live within our shared corpu

An ancient Greek recipe for happiness

Conversations from "the deep end" Podcasts description: "How do you find your purpose? How do you confront your own mortality? How do you repair a broken community? There are a lot of podcasts about the latest developments in politics and finance, health and wellness, entertainment and tech. The Permanent Questions is a new show about the topics that never go away. Each week, the Atlantic staff writer David Brooks speaks with the world’s deepest thinkers about matters of endu

Members of Dordt's faculty reflect on how Wendell Berry's Christian imagination has shaped their own vision for faithful living.

Given access to email, A.I. agents have started reaching out to the philosophers and researchers exploring deep questions about them.

Why we need wonder Excerpt: "Efficiency now infuses every aspect of contemporary life, if you let it. ...Optimization is terrific if you want to get somewhere else in the future. But it’s terrible for being where you actually are right now. ...I've come to believe that wonder, the most immense of our sensations, is the antidote." "Whenever you cease treating the world as scenery or equipment, you’ll find that you encounter the world as something inexhaustibly, constantly pre

Why intellectual humility is important for adolescents and how schools can help them develop it Chapter 1: Developing intellectual humility in adolescence Chapter 2: Youth, parent, and teacher perspectives on intellectual humility

DM A good Sunday of "conclusion-generating" to you. ;>) Today l'm at a vanishing point of cognition (a modest threshold). I'm pondering our largely ultimate 2D thinking about 3D and "n"D objects, such as spirals and spheres (each being prosthetic holophren constructs), in which we tend to comprehend only the superficial "skins" of phenomena. We too often believe in "snapshots of fogs;" ...ignoring the other motions, dimensions and thereof. For example: a sphere, such as a ma

In a populist era, even government disclosures about unidentified objects create more questions than answers.

In an essay, the Microsoft co-founder sounds the alarm about artificial intelligence’s risks to safety and security, jobs and children’s well-being. The Essay

Listen to earlier interview with Dolly on NPR's Fresh Air Related Listen: from her home town folks today Listen: More from The Forum Related post earlier today The most beautiful woman Dolly wrote her own story