Archive for the ‘ Philosophy ’ Category

On Forgiveness and the Justice System

I’m currently reading a book called Between the Monster and the Saint by Richard Holloway. The book is essentially about the battles between good and evil that go through each one of us all the time. In one of the chapters, Holloway writes insightfully on the western justice system — how it lacks an emphasis on [ READ MORE ]

The Monkey Typewriter Fallacy

I recently read an article refuting the infinite monkey theorem: that if you have lots of monkeys hammering away on typewriters one of them will eventually reproduce one of Shakespeare’s sonnets through pure chance alone. What the author was really refuting was the theory of evolution, some writers having used the infinite monkey theorem to [ READ MORE ]

Achieving Bliss in a Striving World

“Life,” he told me, “ought to be filled with always striving for something. It keeps life interesting.” Intuitively I felt that he was right in some way. It reminded me of the concept of “flow”, where you’re so engaged in an activity that is just beyond your comfort level that you lose all sense of self; [ READ MORE ]

“Freak” Rain Every 50 Years?

At lunch yesterday, a colleague of mine told me about the previous day’s rain that had caused flooding in the Bukit Timah area. The damage, he told me, was quite substantial, with some of the major casualties being the cars caught in a basement carpark (with water levels up to waist-height). He was surprised that [ READ MORE ]

Love what you do, and the money will follow. Or will it?

I recently read an article on how an author went around interviewing rich people in an attempt to find out their “secrets to success”. What he found was that these rich people tended not to seek money for its own sake. In essence, the author found that you should pursue what you love, for the [ READ MORE ]

Living the Good Life

I had always had this notion that the concept of the “best life possible” — of living the “good life” — was real. I never quite qualified it with reasoning or investigation, and just took it as it was. Then one day, hit by inspiration, I decided to do some research on what the living [ READ MORE ]

A Perspective on Death

I’d always wondered what it was like to die. I had dreams where I did; I’d wake up with my heart racing, hands ice-cold and slightly trembling. Then I’d soon realise it was only a dream and, intoxicated with relief I’d smile, thinking how wonderful it was to be given a second chance at life. [ READ MORE ]

Giving Up My Seat

I take a train home from work every workday, from HarbourFront to Kovan. Taking the train from HarbourFront, being the final stop on the NEL (North-East Line), I am almost guaranteed a seat. You’d think this was a good thing; I know I did. But lately I’ve been questioning the value that sitting gave me. The [ READ MORE ]

Good thing, bad thing: Or no such thing?

I’m currently reading the book Why Good Things Happen to Good People by Stephen Post and Jill Neimark. There is a passage inside this book that I wanted to share with you, with regards to the issue of respecting others: [S]cience fiction writer Mary Doria Russell once said in an interview, “What seems like bad luck [ READ MORE ]

Heaven as a Moral Hazard

I StumbledUpon this image of a man unicycling across two cliffs at Wellingtongrey.net and it reminded me of my insurance exams. As some of you may know, I’ve been taking insurance exams conducted by the SCI (Singapore College of Insurance) in order to hold the qualifications to be a licensed financial adviser representative; and, as some [ READ MORE ]