Unreal Blog

The fifth post on the philosophy of death looks at another notion of continuity. Even for those who believe in no soul or god of any kind, the physical world is real and continuous. No sane person would think the world comes to an end with his death. Then again, nobody has accused me of sanity.

Read the rest of "Does the World Go on?"

What is soul, and why do we need one? Philosophy of death is surely incomplete without a discussion of this matter. Here is the fourth post in this series.

Read the rest of "Primal Soul"

The severity of a pain is not merely its intensity, but its duration as well. Given that death puts a definitive end to our worldly durations, how does it affect our notion of punishment commensurate with crime? Here is the third post on the philosophy of death.

Read the rest of "From Here to Eternity"

This second post on my series on the philosophy of death deals with the connection between morality and death.

Read the rest of "Why Should I Be Good?"

I thought I would write a short piece on the philosophy death, but it turned out to be a fairly big essay. It was to be expected, I guess, for death is not an easy or simple topic. I will post my thoughts here in parts. The first part looks at the taboo nature of the topic of death.

Read the rest of "The Taboo Topic"

Economists have too many hands. On the one hand, they may declare something good. On the other hand, they may say, “well, not so much.” Some of them may have even a third or fourth hand. My ex-boss, an economist himself, once remarked that he wished he could chop off some of these hands. [...]

Read the rest of "Food Prices and Terrible Choices"

If you are not quite sure how to live your life, let me tell you how. Just kidding, it is not my place to decide for you what your life should be. Then again, I can certainly share my thoughts on the issue on my blog, right?

Read the rest of "How to Live Your Life"

I found this charity initiative that I believe will make a real difference. It is called “Giving What We Can,” and it lists a few recommended organizations that are efficient and focus on the extremely poor. Helping others can be more rewarding that helping yourself.

Read the rest of "Giving What We Can"

On what is important in life. And what is not.

Read the rest of "Midlife Crisis"

Memories of a classmate of mine from IIT who passed away recently. When I heard the shocking news, I wanted to write something about him. What came to mind were a couple of disjointed memories, and I thought I would share them here.

Read the rest of "Candle that Burns Bright"

A word of caution on charismatic gurus and shortcuts to salvation.

Read the rest of "Gurus of a Disturbing Kind"

What does it mean to say that something happened if you cannot remember it?

Read the rest of "Of Dreams and Memories"

To say that Humboldt’s Gift is a masterpiece is like saying that sugar is sweet. It goes without saying. I will read this book many more times in the future because of its educational values (and because I love the reader in my audiobook edition). I would not necessarily recommend the book to others though. I think it takes a peculiar mind, one that finds sanity only in insane gibberish, and sees unreality in all the painted veils of reality, to appreciate this book. In short, you have to be a bit cuckoo to like it. (If you like the book and still maintain that you are not cuckoo, well, you just feel that way because you are!)

Read the rest of "Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow"

This brief look at possibly the best book I have ever read is perhaps my last post in the book review series. At least for a short while, as I’m beginning to find it a bit hard to keep up with all the demands on my time now, what with my next book efforts and everything. Besides, the books have already said it all better, haven’t they?

Read the rest of "The Razor’s Edge by W Somerset Maugham"

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I did not realize that Catch-22 was caricature, the first time I read it. I thought caricatures are visual. I was wrong, of course. Here is an unreal review of this masterpiece that needs to be more widely read.

Read the rest of "Catch-22 by Joseph Heller"

As we bury our loved ones and mourn the fallen heroes, we have to ask ourselves, what is the right response to terrorism? My ideas, as usual, are a bit off the beaten track. And on this emotional topic, I may get a bit of flak for them. But if we are to wipe out the scourge of terrorism, we have to defend ourselves, not only with fast guns and superior fire power, but also with knowledge. Why would anybody want to kill us so badly that they are willing to die trying?

Read the rest of "Terror and Tragedy in Mumbai"

This is going to be my last post of a personal kind, I promise. This French eulogy was an email I received from my friend Stephane, talking about my father who was quite fond of him. Some day I will translate it and append the English version as well. It is hard to translate it right now, but the difficulty is not quite linguistic.

Read the rest of "A French Eulogy"

Death is as much a part of life as birth. Anything that has a beginning has an end. So why do we grieve?

Read the rest of "Death of a Parent"

No, this post is not a sales pitch for a Sony radio receiver. If anything, it is about a health condition called Congestive Heart Failure. And about the passing of the torch. May be a little bit about my father as well.

[...] Perhaps nothing and nobody really passes on. We all leave behind a little bit of ourselves, tiny echoes of our conquests, gusto and passion, memories in those dear to us, and miniscule additions to the mythos that will live on. Like teardrops in the rain.

Read the rest of "Sony World Band Radio"

Of nostalgia and travels, remorse and choices — and me getting sappy in one of my sentimental moods.

Read the rest of "Choices and Remorse"