VENUS
Essay
Did Venus Once Have Oceans?
NASA climate simulations suggest a once-temperate Venus was possible. Other studies challenge whether oceans ever formed.
Read the essay →Beyond the fiction
Ideas Behind the Books
Fiction gives us the freedom to ask questions that everyday life sometimes discourages. These essays explore the science, values, and disagreements behind the stories. I don't expect every reader to agree with my answers, but I hope the questions are worth asking.
DIGNITY
Essay
Disability, Dignity, and Independence
Physical differences do not define intelligence, ambition, achievement, or personal worth.
Read the essay →Essay
The Dignity of Nudity
Botticelli and Michelangelo give us an intriguing question: why celebrate the unclothed body in museums but condemn it elsewhere?
Read the essay →TRUTH
Essay
Truth, Lies, and Manufactured Reality
From honest error to deliberate manipulation, information can shape public judgment and personal freedom.
Read the essay →FAITH
Essay
Faith, Compassion, and the Misuse of Religion
Religious principles can inspire compassion, yet religious language can also be used to justify power.
Read the essay →CHOICE
Essay
The Right to Be Different
From medical decisions to mandatory clothing, what makes a restriction legitimate?
Read the essay →Essays reflect the author’s views. Scientific and health claims are distinguished from speculation and linked to sources where appropriate.