I say it all the time. The three most powerful words in the English language are, “I Don’t Know’. When I worked at a pet store, the boss publicly humiliated me for not being able to say, “I Don’t Know’. I learned quickly that it is not only ok, it is not only a good idea, it is not only TRUE, but it is very freeing to say, “I Don’t Know”. If you’re close to…
This is really the third in a series about the evolutionary significance of sex. I recorded this Episode first, then forgot about it and recorded the previous two episodes (117 and 118). Funny that this was all on my mind to the point where I forgot talking about it. But that’s how important this is. I can’t stress it enough and so give it three Episodes. The evolution of sexual selection as the way to…
In part 1 of this series, I introduced the difference between asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction is basically mitosis or simple cell division. This leaves little room for variation. Evolution and change are slow, and your kids are basically clones of you. With the onset and ultimate domination of sexual reproduction, much more change becomes possible. New concepts like gender and parenting evolve. Evolution, itself becomes THE way organisms can adjust to changing…
Sex. We’re obsessed with it. And for good reason. Sexual reproduction is the mechanism that perpetuates life. We can’t live forever, but we can become essentially immortal by passing on our genes to the next generation. Humans, and other life forms, don’t live forever. But one can argue that our DNA does. And it’s not all sex, but it’s more fun to talk about sex. We used to get along great without sex. All organisms…
I continue to be inspired by the interviews on The Great Simplification Podcast, by the host Nate Havens, and by his guests. It is rewarding to find support for ideas I thought were my own. So many thoughts have been swirling around in my head, and this podcast/blog/video channel is my attempt to integrate them. It is happening. Slowly, but surely. And the process has been expedited lately. The Acid Test idea; that nature and…
Are you a technologist? Do you think tech is going to solve all of our human problems? Do you see science, health advances, nuclear tech or some other human invention as being our salvation? Maybe you don’t even see problems around us. I find it hard to believe that everyone, in some way, doesn’t wonder where we are headed. As any follower on KEW will know by now, I think we need to take a…
I really dislike Competition. And it is a touchy subject. In an article I published on Medium, I received several hateful comments defending the importance of competition in business and sports. In KEW Episode 95 I discuss Rugged Individualism vs. Unified Connection to make the point that competition focuses on isolation rather than community. I talk about this topic a lot. And it is important for me to revisit this in the spirit of the…
Who Am I? Why Are We Here? What is My Purpose? Are We Living ‘Right’? Questions like this – the ‘big questions’ have been around since antiquity. It’s fun to think about when our brains reached a point in evolution where we started having luxury time. Because it’s a luxury to think. To ask these kinds of questions means we’ve already met our basic needs. At some point, we could sit down and take a…
Before embarking on an investigation any researcher worth their salt will state their assumptions. This lays the groundwork for what is to come and allows the reader to contextualize the investigation. In regular science, this is often ignored. It’s a shame we seem to be losing this important piece of the discourse puzzle. Anyway, when it comes to the Acid Tests, most of my assumptions are ‘what we already know’ kinds of things. -DNA is…
What is the question!!!???? Say you are studying the effectiveness of a vaccine against some pathogen. What is the question? Too many times we get wrapped up in the specifics. The details. The minutia. We forget WHY we are doing this in the first place. In this case, I would say the question is, does this vaccine help reduce the problems associated with said pathogen? Maybe you’re interested in climate change. So you gather a…