
In these times of economic disorder and high unemployment, EF Schumacher’s visionary essay, Buddhist Economics, provides enlightening reading. He argues that a Buddhist way of life calls for an economy which has the purification of human character as its goal.
Published in his famous essay collection, Small is Beautiful, the ideas he proposes are a refreshing change from the economic view of modern materialism, based on growth.
Submitted by James Bruges
Albert Einstein famously warned that without bees mankind would only have another 100 years to live. The number of hives in Europe and the US has dramatically declined in recent years. Yet, in South America, the bee population is increasing - but for how long, asks Barbara Buchanan.
Can these New World bee colonies survive parasites, pesticide use and other threats which have decimated their Northern Hemisphere cousins?
Why is the transformation of our entire monetary system so critical? Bernard Lietaer - one of the architects of the euro (yes, really) - explains
Increasing numbers of young people are using prescription 'smart' drugs like Provigil (modafinil) to boost alertness, memory and brain power, say experts. The long-term effects are unknown and they are available to anyone with a debit card via the internet
Last week on the Paris Metro I had a marvellous boost. I’d been feeling wretched after a flaming row with my boyfriend on the station platform when a charming man tipped me a wink and chivalrously offered me his seat which I gratefully accepted. My eyes sparkled and my pulse quickened. Suddenly the day seemed so much brighter.
I can’t remember the last time I saw this happen in London on the Tube. Timid British men have become so terrified of a cruel rebuttal many have given up on gallantry altogether. As for chivalry, what’s that?
It’s not true that one part of the brain does reason and the other does emotion, says renowned psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist. The purpose of the frontal lobes is to inhibit the rest of the brain, to stand back from the moment, which enables us to outwit and deceive – but also to empathise. This division has had profound consequences for human society.
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