My journey into the phat-fatty-fat world of meat. And so it was time for the ultimate elimination diet: nothing but meat, eggs, butter and salt. For a good beautiful few weeks, that’s what my food intake has looked like and will look like for the foreseeable future. Ideally, before I…

On the blissful wonders of another’s perspective, unbidden and uncalled for. Late afternoon, a cloudy November in England. The wind chases the brownish autumn leaves into piles and sometimes scatter them across the streets. Everything is wet, damp even, as is so often the case in Britain: inside is the…

Writing well, committing to a challenge, and see your world shift. Sen. Barbara Boxer: “Mr. Epstein, are you a scientist?” Alex Epstein: “No. Philosopher” Sen. Boxer: “Philosopher? Ah, this is the Environmental and Public Works Committee. I think it’s interesting that we have a philosopher here talking about an issue —…

You should probably say “I’m Sorry You Feel That Way” more often; and reject those who think it’s a terrible and hurtful phrase. A thing about apologies has troubled me for some months — some might say for most of my life. Maybe I’m too stubborn; Maybe I’m too narcissistic…

How selection in success fools us into thinking we understand how success was made. More than once in my life have I heard people pose the J.K. Rowling counterfactual. It goes something like this: one remarks on some amazing part of the Harry Potter books, movies and honky-tonk merch. Then…

“Beliefs, including mine and yours, are fundamentally driven by prior biases. It takes deliberate effort to change that.” — Mathew Crawford The first piece of advice for anyone considering arguing with a stranger is to resist. Don’t do it. It’s not worth your time. In fact, you’re probably just wasting…

Don Corleone: “it don’t make any difference to me what a man does for a living, you understand.” Most people are uninteresting. That’s not a typo: I mean uninteresting. Not worth your time. …

I used to love these Isles; I still love them; I may once again. In November, I watched the Remembrance Sunday parade in awe. These veterans, uniformed musicians and Army personnel dazzled the thousands of observers through the grey English weather, and lightened up what otherwise would have been a…

Strange years provide strange lessons. Break more rules; endure hardship; work your body — go outside! — and beware your often tricksy feelings. Year-ends are the time for year-reviews. For looking ahead, and for summarising what the past year brought. I’ve seen events high and low, views more stunning than…