Amongst Western intelligentsia, to criticize if not loathe American values is viewed as progressive and liberal, whilst to support brutal and intolerant religious and political ideologies is a hallmark of being enlightened.
— Gad Saad
Needless to say, I fully support the legal codes that are meant to protect individuals from discrimination.
Social etiquette dictates that when in mixed company, one should avoid discussing politics and religion. As someone who is quite active on various social portals, I can attest to the visceral emotions that are triggered when these topics are broached!
Unlike other animals, all of which are undoubtedly oblivious to their eventual demise, humans are fully aware that their time on Earth is limited. This is a reality that for most individuals is difficult if not impossible to bear.
The capacity for humans to come up with ever-increasingly granular in-group versus out-group demarcations is truly breathtaking.
The contents of an ideology are not sacrosanct simply because they are couched in the cloak of a religion.
Notwithstanding the supposed egalitarian ethos of some hunter-gatherer societies, humans are a hierarchical social species. We care greatly about where we stand in comparison to some relevant reference group.
Casting judgments is an integral feature of what makes us human.
My attachment to my wedding ring is a powerful symbol of the infinite love that I have for my wife and children.
Bottom line - cosmetics are used to accentuate an existing sex difference in facial contrast. This does not mean that women engage in this beautification practice with knowledge of this sexual dimorphism.
There is an intellectual snobbery that, regrettably, many academics suffer from. They are proud their paper is only read by a small group of people - makes it very exclusive. Let's get rid of that. If it's truly important, people should be excited about it.
For humans, gift giving is a universal ritual laden with evolutionary implications.
In the game of life, survival is only part of the battle.
There are many benefits to having interesting friends on Facebook. In my case, given that fellow academics constitute a sizable portion of my online friends, I am at times privy to shared studies that I might otherwise miss (or perhaps only identify at some future date).
It is not 'dehumanizing' to call someone an illegal immigrant if he/she resides in the host country illegally.
Most people experience some insecurity regarding one or more of their physical traits.
If any syllable that I utter might be interpreted in 13,000 different ways, then the best way for me to never be tarred and feathered is to never open my mouth. So the next time that someone calls on me for an opinion, you know what? I won't say a thing.
Individual freedoms are the primary engine by which the pursuit of happiness can be maximally instantiated.
One's political views and/or religious beliefs should not exist in an impenetrable and inviolable bubble wherein they are protected from criticism or scrutiny.
Across disparate cultures that require physical risk-taking as a rite of passage, it is always the men who engage in such pursuits.
While I do not have a sweet tooth, I am a fan of the dark chocolate ice cream at Baskin Robbins.
To the uninitiated, the Hasidim constitute a rather homogeneous sect of orthodox Jewry, but this is far from being true.
It is perfectly acceptable in a free and liberal society to criticize, debate, mock, and reject any ideology.
Great leaders are not proverbial fence sitters. They judge. They opine. They challenge. They fight for their vision.
I contend that the ethos of perpetual non-judgment is intellectually dishonest if not outright cowardly.
People's most prized possessions carry deeply symbolic and emotional significance.
The right to be able to speak openly and confidentially to another is, at times, codified legally if not ethically.
Our African ancestors were the first to engage in breathing. By that logic, I think by breathing today, we are engaging in cultural appropriation of the first Homo sapiens. And so the only way I will ask you to stop being racist is to suffocate - to stop breathing.
Consumer behaviour is a powerful realm from which to explore our biological heritage.
In many instances, mate choice is a compensatory process. In other words, both men and women choose prospective mates by combining their scores on several key attributes.
The explanatory power of evolutionary psychology is limitless!
The Christmas-New Year's holiday season can be a double-edge sword when it comes to one's mental health.
I am always on the lookout for new cafes to hang out at.
The world remains a very hostile place for women in many corners of the globe. As such, we should all strive to battle such injustices wherever these might occur.
If you are of sound mind and body, many exciting and challenging adventures are within your reach irrespective of your age.
As an academic, I value the free exchange of ideas.
Evolutionary psychology offers a parsimonious framework for understanding which domains are likely to yield sex differences and, if so, in which direction.
Regrettably, many religious traditions exacerbate our innate proclivity to divide the world into two clearly demarcated camps, and in doing so, this fans the flames of intolerance and hate.
Medical ethics is a fascinating discipline, as it deals with issues replete with complex philosophical, moral, and ethical considerations that are rarely black or white.
In criticizing an ideology, one cannot be racist, hateful, or bigoted. These descriptors apply to positions held against people and not ideologies.
World history is shaped both positively and negatively by people who judge.
Take off your wedding ring prior to swimming!
A successful marriage requires commitment to teamwork.
The Ferrari is exactly the same in the human context as the peacock's tail is on the peacock.
The seven deadly sins should be updated. We should add an eighth sin: Cowardice.
Animals use a broad range of strategies to advertise themselves in the mating market. In some instances, visual cues highlight a morphological feature - for example, the peacock's tail.
Early in my doctoral training at Cornell University, I became immersed in the behavioral decision theory paradigm.
There is nothing offensive about the word 'obese.' It is a descriptor of a person's weight.
One of the ways by which astrology tricks human brains is via the Barnum effect, which is the process by which individuals take general and vague statements that could apply to anyone and anywhere, and find personal meaning in them.
One of the hallmarks of the American justice system is that it should be blind to individuals' idiosyncratic descriptors, including biological sex, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or physical attributes.
