With or without God, nature works in mysterious ways. For example, truth isn’t immutable but is determined by where we stand in time and space.  The giddiness with which truth varies in different parts of the world is mind-boggling. In Florida, a group of seniors lie, cheat, and bu

Hamlet marveled, “What a piece of work is man,” but that isn’t the half of it.  Two new books are out which talk about man’s place in the universe, both reviewed by Tim Flannery in Harper’s.  Dian Ackerman, whose affinity for understanding nature is undisputed by most,

While scientists attempt to map the human mind in a well-funded program called The Brain Activity Map Project (BAM), theologians and philosophers wonder if that mapping will give us a greater understanding of consciousness and free will than we have now.  As writer and Pulitzer priz