Today's soundtrack is Christcentric: The Ephesians Project. This evening, I'm reading chapter 14 of Larry Gonick's The Cartoon Guide to Physics, "Capacitors." To make a capacitor, we separate two conductors by an insulator. To charge a capacitor, we transfer charge from one conductor to the other, usually with a battery. To do so, we create … Continue reading 06.10.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today’s soundtrack is Crosby, Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills, & Nash. This afternoon, I’m reading Book 1 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, a stoic. In this little book, Marcus Aurelius lists the things that he learned from seventeen people in his life, those he is thankful to: Verus (grandfather): morality and control of temper Father … Continue reading 06.09.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today's soundtrack is Marian Hill: Unusual. This afternoon, I'm reading the ninth chapter of Aristotle's Ethics, in which he continues to examine goodness and happiness. How do we attain happiness? Is it given to us or acquired? Happiness is achieved through the process "of study or application of our mental powers" (p. 44); thus, we … Continue reading 06.05.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today's soundtrack is Ween: The Mollusk. This morning I'm reading the next chapter of Behaviorism: Classic Studies, "Behavior and the Concept of Mental Disease," by John B. Watson. It was originally published in 1916. in the Journal of Philosophy, Psychology, and Scientific Methods. Watson noticed that medical doctors referred to diseases without physical causes as … Continue reading 06.04.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today's soundtrack is Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells. This afternoon, I'm reading the first chapter of James White's The Potter's Freedom, "The Vital Issue." The Jesuit Catholics believed that the Protestant Reformation was heretical; one of its proponents, Luis de Molina, wrote the Scientia Media (Middle Knowledge), a philosophical paper that attempted to show that God … Continue reading 06.03.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today's soundtrack is Kanye West: Ye. This morning, I'm continuing Aristotle's Ethics, in which I'll be reading the eighth chapter. There are three types of good: "(a) external, (c) of the soul, (c) of the body" (p. 41). Aristotle says that the second of these is the most important for our purposes. Since happiness is … Continue reading 06.02.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today's soundtrack is Burn the Priest: Burn the Priest. This evening, I'm reading chapter 2 of John Calvin's The Institutes of Christian Religion, "What it is to know God and where that leads." To know God is to recognize that God exists, and to realize His effect on our personal lives. God is revealed to … Continue reading 05.31.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction

Today's soundtrack is Ringo Deathstarr: God's Dream. This morning, I'm reading the second half of the second chapter of Maslow's The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. Maslow says that it is important to consider the physical base of discussions about human growth. Use of the right language - the fusion-words - can help us to … Continue reading 05.30.2018: One Chapter of Nonfiction