Although he was not one of the main philosophers we have studied, Charles Darwin and his theories and ideas have greatly influenced American philosophy as we know it. Even ask Auguste Comte (Positivism), John Fiske with his "Law of Evolution", Chauncey Wright with "Genesis of the Species", and John Dewey's "Darwin's Influence on Philosophy."

Hope is the great "as if" we live by. We all need some central 'as if' in our lives. Take the abused wife needing to live life 'as if' there's some good in her husband. The religious zealot living life as if right and wrong were prescribed by the scripture; and "as if" the scripture itself, was the unequivocal translation of God's will.

Why is it in this day and age intolerance for that which is different remains so prevalent? It's almost as if, at every cross section, the stodgy mindset of old seeks to prevent the progressive thinkers of today.

Narcissists are driven by an insatiable need to always look good, and to always win. Their belief in their own greatness creates an extreme sense of entitlement, which makes it impossible for them to accept any compromise without losing face. This makes them rigid and inflexible.

While we may believe that we all have our own moral rudder,very often our moral judements are simple imported from the tribe we happen to belong to.

America's Founding Fathers did not create a democracy. Rather, they created a "polity," a hybrid of oligarchy and democracy based on a large middle class.

The Founding Fathers had to finesse the problem of naming the type of government they were building. To call a polity a polity would have alienated both oligarchic and popular constituencies. That avoidance still exists; it is now a taboo.

Momentum has musical properties that enable it to overrule reason and logic. That formidable power is neurological in origin.

Momentum is ultimately neurological in origin, i.e., a product of how our brains work. Momentum has musical properties. Music may be the last residue in consciousness of the original state of sensory unity all human fetuses experience. Music also involves the cerebellum, the most primitive part of the brain, which measures and guides movement.

Identifying, classifying, and naming things gives humanity a means to compartmentalize and deal with an anxiety riddled existence. Our minds predilection for disdain towards the unknown provides the driving force for this coping strategy.