"Magical Thinking" a Slur Against Enlightenment

Whenever you hear someone use the term "magical thinking," beware! You're dealing with an intolerant Aristotelian, a person who cannot conceive or concede that there may be a philosophical conception of the world (e.g. Platonism or even pre-Socratic philosophy, see The Philosophy of Success, elsewhere on this blog) other than his or her own (i.e. Aristotelianism).

This intolerance stems from their blind adherence to the law of causation, which makes it doubly important for the person of faith to develop an understanding of occasionalism (see The Law of Cause and Effect a Tenet of Faith elsewhere on this blog).

More commonly, people profess Aristotelianism but practice Platonism. For example, you never hear rich, famous, powerful people declaiming against visualization, which is a Platonic principle (see the Visualization of Success, elsewhere on this blog). This is because they couldn't have reached their lofty position without it--it cannot be otherwise.

Hannah Teter's Charity Set-Up for Long-Term Good

A version of this article appeared at Technorati on 25 February 2010.

Hannah Teter is a snowboarder. Hannah Teter is cool--man, is she cool. Hannah Teter is a force. Hannah Teter is a kid.

At just 23 years old, Teter has competed in two Olympics, winning gold in Torino and now silver in the women's halfpipe event at Vancouver.

Her charitable endeavors are extensive and well-publicized--she supports a town in Kenya and gives prize money to help Haitians.

The Pursuit of Greatness Can Be Costly

A version of this article was published by Technorati on 24 February 2010. To see all my Technorati articles, click Lifestyle in the Contents listing on the sidebar.

An object lesson in egoic behavior comes by way of a recently authenticated Van Gogh original.

Museum de Fundatie, a small museum in a small Dutch town 70 miles east of Amsterdam called Zwolle began showing what is now known to be Van Gogh's "Le Blute-Fin Mill" yesterday (pictured). It will remain on display through July 4th.

The painting and its former owner will remain forever linked by a checkered past.

"Le Blute-Fin Mill" was previously owned by an art collector and curator named Dirk Hannema, who bought it in 1975 from an unsuspecting Paris art dealer for the equivalent of $2,700. Hannema later insured the painting for around $43,000.