I figure there is enough ugliness in the world without my contribution. I have heard, many times, from people who swear a lot, about the study which supposedly indicated a positive correlation between the use of profanity and the use of language overall—the implication being that people who swear a lot, contrary to what one…

In popular discourse, people use the word “stress” to mean several different things.  “Stress” refers the factors which impose upon us.  “I’m under a lot of stress at work.”  “This is a stressful time in my life.”  It refers to one’s experience of those factors.  “I’m stressed out.”  “My stress level is high right now.” …

This does not make them good.  The instinct which promotes social unity is the same instinct which promotes ritual cannibalism, human sacrifice, torture and oppression of the weak, and so forth.  The social instinct is the precursor both of your good and of your evil, and evil comes more easily. You are a social animal;…

Colonel Grossman made this point in On Killing, that human beings are naturally reluctant to kill one another, such that most soldiers on the battlefield throughout history have gone to great lengths to avoid stabbing or shooting one another.  But this is only a half of the story.  The full truth goes like this:  Human…

It’s a question that bears considering in an age when many claim that speech is violence, and any people living in a way of which one person disapproves are said to be committing violence against the one. Here’s the truth: Violence is any process which increases the entropy in a system.  It is the application…

You are sitting at the bar when a rough customer walks up and growls, “You’re in my seat.”  It’s the classic scenario.  The threat may be implicit, or it may be explicit:  “Get lost, or I’ll kick your ass.”  And you know that, much as your ego wants you to fight for that seat, it’s…

The person who says a thing should be banned or avoided because it might be offensive is a liar.  He or she will be the first to justify giving offense to those he or she deems evil.  The person who says a thing should be banned or avoided because it is offensive is a person…

There is no such thing as fair.  Or, if there is, we cannot possibly achieve it in this mortal life.  To create a perfectly fair, just, or equitable arrangement between two parties would require perfect knowledge of both parties and the values of all factors affecting both parties.  Only God has such knowledge.  The rest…