Unpuzzling Library

Do Morals Need Religion? Ask Your Pre-Verbal Toddler

March 17, 2024

Around the world, our involvement with religion is changing. Participation in religious activities is declining in well-resourced countries where citizens feel relatively secure about a stable future. In countries that are less resourced and where citizens’ futures are more uncertain, participation in religious activities is increasing. What impact does declining participation in religious activities have on morality? Does distancing ourselves from religious congregations inevitably lead to a decline in our moral standards? The Christian Bible contains narratives that…

Your Personality: Who’s in Charge?

June 29, 2023

Unpuzzling the Nature and Nurture of Your Personality Your personality is the core of your self-identity. What do you know about the personality that make you the person you are?  The question is simple: who are you? Try answering these questions: From what perspective do you describe the you that is you? Should you reference your job, career goals, passions, loves, grievances, fears, and hopes? How about describing your characteristic behaviors — habits, quirks, sense of humor,…

Social Synchrony: Strengthening Social Bonds at Home, Work and Community

May 13, 2024

Have you ever had the experience of meeting a best friend after losing touch for several years? You get together over lunch or some activity, and the talk flows between you non-stop, as if you had never been separated. Or perhaps you’ve experienced the joy of joining a project team that clicks. After a brief period of getting to know one another, you “put your heads together” like a well-oiled machine, moving smoothly and quickly.…

Why Are Global Cancer Rates Rising for Young People Under Age 50?

March 25, 2024

Conspiracy theorists were in a tizzy when Princess Kate disappeared from public for several months. Now that she has confirmed having cancer, the rumor mongers may want to delete their gossipy posts about her. Kate, the Princess of Wales, has announced her diagnosis of cancer, which was identified after her abdominal surgery in January 2024. While British citizens and the rest of the world sympathize with her and her family, Kate has joined a club…

Looking Beyond Astrology: A Better Way to Read People

December 7, 2024

Unpuzzling Astrology as a Match Maker and Futurist “What’s your sign?” It’s a question you’ve probably heard at parties, on dates, or even during job interviews. Humans have looked to astrology for centuries to understand themselves and others. We’ve all had that moment of nodding along as someone describes how being a Scorpio explains their intensity or how Mercury being in retrograde affects their decision-making. By nature, humans are prediction machines. We want to know…

Meeting the Challenge of High-Quality Writing

August 14, 2023

In a 1964 case brought before the Supreme Court of the United States, a movie theater owner in Ohio showed a French film, “Les Amants” (The Lovers), directed by Louis Malle. Some viewers were offended, so the State of Ohio declared the film obscene. The theater owner was fined $2500. He fought back. The question before the Court was the definition of obscenity. Was the French film shown in Ohio obscene? In response to this question,…

Autocrats Need You To Be Stupid. Are You OK With That?

January 5, 2024

Afghanistan’s post-occupation political landscape is today characterized by an authoritarian regime with unique ideological features, including the most severe restrictions on the freedoms and human rights of any current dictatorship, particularly for women and girls. A few months after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops in August 2021, Afghanistan’s ruling party, the Taliban, announced that girls were barred from studying beyond sixth grade — or age 13, about the time when young women can begin to…

Why Does Hate Travel Faster Than Love?

August 3, 2023

It matters whether your worldview is convergent or divergent.

When Is Enough Enough to Change Your Mind?

October 2, 2023

In a skit, comedian Richard Pryor plays a husband whose wife comes home early to find him in bed with another woman. The naked woman grabs her clothes and makes a quick escape. The dialogue ensues: Wife: You’re cheating on me! Husband: I’m not cheating on you. Wife: I saw that woman in bed with you with my own eyes! Husband: Well, who ya gonna believe — me or your lying eyes? Have you ever believed in…

Donald Trump’s Business Practices: Construction or Demolition?

May 2, 2025

Will Trump’s past business record predict future presidential success? Donald J. Trump, in his second administration as the 47th president of the United States (Trump 2.0), has stirred a hornet’s nest of controversies in his quest to undermine liberal values and establish an autocratic government where criticism of his judgment is not tolerated. Like all good authoritarians, Trump is demanding zero accountability for his policies and priorities. And yet, Trump has had numerous business failures.…

Donald Trump’s Would-Be Assassin Resembles The Profile of a School Shooter

July 14, 2024

On July 13th, Thomas Crooks, age 20, made an apparent attempt to assassinate former president Donald Trump, who was speaking at a political rally in Pennsylvania. This despicable act left Trump wounded and killed a father who was shielding his family from flying bullets. Two other rally attendees were seriously wounded. Having been killed by security forces within a minute of opening fire, Crooks was identified by the serial number of the AK-15-type semiautomatic rifle…

When Religion Collides With Politics, Frozen Embryos Feel the Heat

March 4, 2024

Science and religion aren’t inherently at odds, but claiming their union is a bed of roses overlooks the thorns. Introduce politics into this already peculiar partnership, and we find ourselves with a whole bush of nettles, guaranteeing a prickly experience for everyone involved. A recent event that occurred in the U.S. State of Alabama has much to tell us about how religion, science, and politics get along in the Land of Conservative Ideology. A ruling…