Sorry to say it, but 2011 is over. Gone. Forever. Time to look forward my friend. If you are interested in becoming a better person over the next year, then you need to pay attention to your ability to learn.

That’s right. To be a better person you need to be a better learner.

And learning is about being there. Here are 12 things to improve on in order to be there.

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A man, the defendant, sits solemnly and silently, while his lawyer paces the room. We, the audience, just now getting into the scene, know nothing about this man, what his charge his, etc. We do, however, catch the final argument from the lawyer.

“Ladies and gentleman of the jury. What my defendant did was unlawful, unjust, evil, say what you will. But the fault was not of his own. It was not his hand that started these actions, but the hand of his father as he beat the defendant as a young boy so many years ago. And by the hand of his mother as she neglected him and shared his drug use as a teenager. This past no doubt has set my defendant up to do this crime. It started, not from his own free will, but from the coercion of others horrible actions.

Do not find my friend here guilty. He being him is not responsible.”

We don’t know about all of the man’s past. We don’t know what the crime is. But considering a terrible childhood, should he still bear the responsibility? I answer with a resounding, Yes. Continue Reading

At any point in the day random thoughts can flood our head. Thoughts of the past, of the future, of what we are going to eat for lunch. At any point we may come up with an innovative idea, and just before we can find a pen, we get distracted and lose everything.

Thinking, in all of its glory, can be so disconnected as to make it seem like you have no control of what jumps in and out of your cranium.

Thinking correctly involves focusing your attention and making real progress in a single area before moving on to the next. In other words, you need to cease being a stop-motion thinker. Continue Reading

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abe Lincoln

One objection that is often given to me in regards to the study of philosophy is that it doesn’t provide answers to the questions it prides itself on pursuing. What is truth? How can we know when we know? What is an ethical life? It seems like these questions are still out there, waiting to be answered.

For one, this objection is downright false. Answers are given to these questions all the time. Plato had an answer. So did Aristotle, and most others leading up to contemporary names. What the skeptic really means is that the answers are very cloudy and heavily argued, leaving much room for doubt. Continue Reading

Having the right values is a hot topic for those seeking a meaningful life. If you ever hope to achieve wholesome living then your values have to cohere with that kind of life.

Why are wholesome values connected to such a life? They are like a compass on a boat; they lead you through both sunny days and stormy nights. Being an unfailing guide, correct values steer you in the right direction, even when you seem lost at sea.

However, values often do not cohere with such a life and we are left with a compass that points not to virtue, but to vice. Understand the nature of values and you will understand why. Continue Reading

A good habit unlocks further growth. A bad one gets you stuck in a rut. Thinking, being its own behavior, has its own habits. Neurologically, neurons that fire together, wire together. Fire enough times together and the connections between them begin to grow stronger.

These connections are not biased. They don’t care if you want to think positively. Habitually thinking in a sour manner will strengthen those connections involved. Overcoming those crippling thoughts is key to getting on the path to a happy lifestyle, and you know this, but how can you do so? Continue Reading