Blog – 🕊️ apsylam

Institutional Betrayal

Institutional Betrayal (IB) is a phenomenon in which “an institution causes harm to an individual who depends on or trusts the institution” (Smith & Freyd, 2014, p. 578). In…

Self-Acceptance and Relationships

In an issue of Psychological Reports, William Schutz, an American psychologist, argues that “[l]ikeability is based on the ability to create an atmosphere within which…

Pride and Flattery

In Ethics, Spinoza argues that if an individual is proud, then he loves flatterers: “[a] proud person loves the presence of parasites or flatterers, and hates the presence…

The Catastrophic Risks of AI

Artificial Intelligence

In The Catastrophic Risks of AI - and a Safer Path, Yoshua Bengio argues for the rise of agentic AI, and the conditions under which their rise might cause humans to go…

Techno-Distress

Information Systems

Ragu-Nathan and colleagues (2008) defined the constructs of technostress and technostress creators, also known as techno-distress and techno-distress creators respectively…

Techno-Eustress

Information Systems

Tarafdar and colleagues (2024) defined the constructs of techno-eustress and techno-eustress creators. In this post, I present the definitions of both constructs.

Skilful Action

Skilful action causes happiness. In Wings to Awakening, Thanissaro Bhikkhu argues that skilful action is “the primary factor” that “contribut[es] to happiness”.

No-self or Not-Self?

In No-Self or Not-Self, Thanissaro Bhikkhu argues that the question of whether or not there is a self “should be put aside”. In other words, individuals should neither…

Refuge

In pre-Buddhism, if an individual takes refuge in a patron, then the individual submits him- or herself to the patron in exchange for protection from danger.¹

Why Individuals Should Learn to Code

Artificial Intelligence

In Learn the Language of Software, Andrew Ng argues that individuals should “learn to code”.

Aggi Sutta

The Aggi Sutta (Fire Discourse) is a discourse (sutta) in the Bojjhanga Samyutta. The Bojjhanga Samyutta is a samyutta (chapter) in the Maha Vagga. The Maha Vagga is a vagga …

Kodhana Sutta

These are seven things that anger causes one to lose that their enemies wish for them to lose.

A Rational Argument for Morality

In Enlightenment Now and Rationality, Pinker (2018, 2021) presents a rational argument for morality. In this post, I present his argument.

How to Stop Being Angry

In this post, I meditate on the nature of anger.

Generalists and Specialists

Should we be either generalists or specialists?

Critical Thinking and Depression

Depression is a “sad, empty, or irritable mood”, accompanied by related changes that significantly affect the individual’s capacity to function” (American Psychiatric…

The Need for Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the active, careful and persistent consideration of both the justifications for and the implications of our beliefs (Dewey, 1933). An individual thinks…

An Argument Against Free Will

In a YouTube Short, Alex O’Connor argues that there is no free will. In this post, I formalise his argument against free will.

Friendship and Forgiveness

In Consolations, Whyte (2019) argues that friendship is “a testament to forgiveness” and that its “ultimate touchstone is witness”. In this post, I argue that if I desire…

Singapore’s Renewed Social Compact

During a recent press conference, Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong stated that the aspirations and hopes that Singaporeans had shared during the Forward Singapore exercise…

The Danger of Nostalgia Weighing Upon the Present

In The Danger of Nostalgia Weighing Upon the Present, Simon Tay warns that “[i]t is good to know our history, but we must be wary of invoking the past to make decisions…

St. Augustine on The Immortality of the Soul

In De Immortalitate Animae, St. Augustine proposes a proof for the immortality of the soul. In this post, I outline his proof.

How Repressed Emotions Make Us Sick

The School of Life released a video which introduces the psychoanalytic concept of repression, its causes and its effects. In this article, I summarise the video.

The Problem with Counterfeit People

In The Problem with Counterfeit People, Daniel Dennett argues that “we must outlaw […] the creation of counterfeit people”. In particular, he argues that “reating…

Honesty, Truth and Belief

It is not necessary that if an individual is honest, then his or her speech consistent with the truth. In other words, it is possible that an individual is honest but his or…

Loving-Kindness as the Antidote to Anger

If an individual experiences anger (paṭigha), then he or she has ill-will (vyāpāda). In Anger and Forgiveness, Nussbaum argues that anger is an emotion “that seeks the pain…

Should Married Men Go To Strip Clubs?

I came across a TikTok video in which a divorce lawyer argues that married men should not go to strip clubs:

Pleasure and Desire

Last night, I was thinking about pleasure and desire. I found three thinkers who have argued for the following claims:

Rethinking Serendipity in Love

An acquaintance once advised me on love, “It is possible to find love, but you have to search for it.” In his view, love, like all other good things in life, comes to those…

Peace without War

3 Lessons on Beauty

In 1900, Nishida Kitaro published one of his first original essays titled An Explanation of Beauty. In the essay, Kitaro argues for the relationships between beauty…

Void and Compensation

In this article, I share marginalia and reflections on the chapter Void and Compensation in the book Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil.

Avoiding Pathways to Unhappiness

Of the things that we dislike about ourselves, either we can change them, or we cannot change them. And of the latter class of things, our continued dislike of them is the…

The Islamic Scholar who Influenced Jewish and Christian Thought

The Islamic Golden Age (c. 750-1258 BCE) was marked by significant cultural, religious, scientific, and technological developments in the Muslim world (Abbas, 2011, p. 9).

Writing Under an Autumn-Coloured Sky

To be is to be perceived. Like how a fallen tree makes a sound even when no one is around to hear it, the written word is felt even with no one else to read it.

A Guide to Benevolence in Confucianism

In 551 BCE, Confucius was born to a once aristocratic family in a small state called Lu in East China. During his lifetime, he endeavoured towards the “impossible” goal of…

Simone Weil on Friendship and its Adulteration

Friendship is an important component of our intimate lives. Given its importance, it is not surprising that a number of philosophers including Aristotle have written on the…

How to Understand Anselm’s Ontological Argument for God’s Existence

Saint Anselm of Canterbury was an Intalian Benedictine abbot, monk, philosopher and theologian of the Catholic Church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from…

Understanding the Relationship Between Leverage and Mahalanobis Distance

In Multiple Linear Regression, it is useful to detect the presence of outliers in the sample. An indicator of the presence of outliers is the leverage (McCullagh & Nelder…

What is the Barcan Formula?

In 1946, Barcan introduced an axiom schema in modal predicate logic which is now referred to as the Barcan Formula (p. 2).

How to Build a Logistic Regression Model from Scratch in R

In this document, I demonstrate how the Newton-Raphson Method can be used to approximate the Maximum Likelihood Estimates of the parameters of a Logistic Regression model.

How to Control Your Response to Bad Things That Happen

Nothing bad that happens is outside our control. If something bad happens, then it is inside our control. And if something happens that is outside our control, then it is…

Being Comfortable Not Being Alone

Relationships require us to be comfortable being alone. They also require us to be comfortable not being alone.

Abjection and Pride

In Ethics, Spinoza argues that “although abjection is contrary to pride, an abject person is nevertheless very close to a proud person” (Part IV, Proposition 57 Scholium;…

The Irrationality of Anger

It is irrational for me to be angry at someone else for the occurrence of an event to which I am averse.

Cowardice

In The Ethics, Spinoza defines cowardice as “ascribed to one whose desire is restrained by timidity regarding a danger which his equals dare to take on themselves” In…

Pleasure

Pleasure is the desire of what is. If I cannot change what is, then I change what is desired.

Right Action

In Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path comprises Ethical Conduct, Mental Discipline and Wisdom. Ethical Conduct comprises Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood.…

Understanding the Nature of Envy

The green-eyed monster appears often and without warning. Envy permeates our lives. In this post, I meditate on the nature of envy.

Proof 20200424

In a previous post, I formulated an argument based on a theorem that if ¬◊¬(φ → ψ) and ◊(φ ∧ χ) are provable, then ◊(ψ ∧ χ) is provable. In this post, I prove the theorem.

Right Speech

In the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta, the Buddha preaches that individuals should not engage in harsh speech. However, in the Abhaya Sutta, he preaches that individuals could engage…

Right Speech in Dating Profiles

In Race Restrictions: Just a Preference?, Corvino argues that individuals should not express their racial preferences on their dating profiles. This is because such an…

Right Speech

In Buddhism, the Noble Eightfold Path comprises Ethical Conduct, Mental Discipline and Wisdom. Ethical Conduct comprises Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood.…

The Tale of the Stairs

Teaching Ethics with Short Stories (TESS) is a collection of short stories and guiding questions that encourages discussions over a wide range of ethical questions. In this…

Préférence Nationale

Teaching Ethics with Short Stories (TESS) is a collection of short stories and guiding questions that encourages discussions over a wide range of ethical questions. In this…

A Guide to the Nature of Jealousy

I get jealous; and I think that we all do. The experience of anger, anxiousness, sadness and shame in response to our partners’ real or imagined attraction to an other is…

UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3)

Loneliness is prevalent. A cross-section of community-dwelling adults in San Diego, California, revealed that 76% reported moderate-to-high levels of loneliness. In this…

Pornography and Interpersonal Satisfaction

Researchers from Indiana University and University of Hawaii conducted a meta-analysis of 50 studies including more than 50,000 participants from 10 countries. Their results…

Gay Male Body Image

In an article published in The Conversation, Phillip Joy states that a number of gay men are dissatisfied with their bodies, and that this dissatisfaction is associated with…

Loneliness

In an article published in International Psychogeriatrics, Lee and colleagues reported that loneliness peaks at the following life stages: young adulthood (late-20s); middle…

LGBT Individuals can Reproduce

In the Japan Today article Japanese Lawmaker Under Fire for LGBT Comment, the Japanese lawmaker Katsuei Hirasawa was reported to have stated that “if everyone became like…

Wonder is the Antidote to Hatred

In the New York Times article In Praise of Wonder, Simon proposes that “[w]onder is the antidote to hatred.” In particular, if a person (A) wonders at another person (B)…

In Praise of Wonder

In the New York Times article In Praise of Wonder, Simon argues that we should wonder. In particular, he argues that we should “put wonder at the centre of our personal and…

Love as Commitment

Love is a commitment. Individuals who embark on romantic relationships consciously dedicate their energies towards the object(s) of their affections; the individual who…

How rapid brain growth makes memories fade and disappear: A response

If you have taken modules (or know a thing or two) about neuroscience and memory, please do share with me what you know. Here is my take on the study, which essentially…

Ironic Suppression

Before we begin, let us conduct a simple experiment on ourselves. In the next 10 seconds, whatever you do, do not to think of a white bear. Ready? Let’s go!

Parallel Universe

We commonly interpret the term ‘parallel universe’ in a physical manner. A lay man might define it as a separate, but similar, world that we cannot sense. In other words…

Famous Gay Scientists

The history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals is replete with famous personalities from the arts. Growing up predominantly as a science student, as…

Why do some people never get depressed?

By Geoff Watts BBC World Service

Significant Aspects of Client-Centred Therapy: A Summary

Summary of a paper, Significant Aspects of Client-Centred Therapy, given at a seminar of the staff of the Menninger Clinic and the Topeka Veteran’s Hospital, Topeka, Kansas…

On Being Sane In Insane Places – A Review

In 1973, psychologist David L. Rosenhan published, in the journal Science, what is arguably one of the most widely read articles in the field of psychology, “On being sane…