Isaac Newton never found the philosopher’s stone or the Elixir of Life, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. We look back on this as a comical thing. What was the world’s most influential scientist thinking? How did he not recognize that alchemy was fundamentally a different — and illegitimate…

Robert Anton Wilson, a prolific sci-fi author and editor for Playboy, is worth reading specifically for the fact that his work is a gateway to many off-the-wall ideas and perspectives. Dabbling in his books is like taking a slow-motion dive down an esoteric Wikipedia rabbit hole. …

It’s not often stated so bluntly, but it’s hardly a controversial opinion that Jesus is cringe. What’s weird is that this is never taken seriously as a critique of Christianity. It should be. Who wants to follow a cringe god? Christianity is currently losing followers at a breakneck pace. There…

When I was younger, nothing was more offensive to me than the idea of a movie deriving from a video game, or a book deriving from a movie. Adaptations were to flow in only one direction: first the book, then the movie, then the Sunday morning cartoons, then the video…

She believed collage was the greatest of all the arts And was busy pasting pictures of horses Next to ads for laundry soap Next to Mohammed Ali She had a turquoise in her ear And said Rachmaninoff was always in her head These lines are from the song “Estelle” by…

Americans are an overly enthusiastic and hyper-expressive people. We love to laugh and smile! We love to dance and sing! And when we do so! — we do so with extraordinary zest!!! This isn’t just a stereotype. Americans actually smile more — and with bigger smiles — than other countries…

In professional wrestling, the storylines are contrived and everyone knows it. But this is seen as part of the fun. Despite being in on the joke, audiences are eager to enjoy all the action as if it were fully genuine. …

Growing up in small, coastal towns in the Pacific Northwest, I always felt at home in nature. And of course I felt close to it, as some of the most beautiful forestland in the world was right outside my doorstep. …

Almost everyone has a “this teacher changed my life” story. Usually it’s a high school teacher who provided a nurturing environment during a particularly challenging year in school. I have a few of those stories myself, but one educator stands out the most. It was a philosophy professor I never…