Politics and Society
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The Al Aqsa Flood, a.k.a the Israeli-Gaza War
I don’t condone Hamas’s behavior – but I certainly understand it. Continue reading
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Authenticity, Scapegoating, and Peace
To practically everybody, peace simply means the absence of any physical violence that might cast a shadow over lives devoted to the satisfaction of their mimetic desires for comfort and pleasure. Continue reading
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Parenting for Protesters and Counter-Protesters
I vow to remember: I am not creating myself; Instead, I am offering space for you to co-create yourself. Continue reading
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Mimetic Desire and the Battle for Authenticity
“Our desires make us imitate and compete with others, but what we ultimately seek is recognition and approval from them.” Rene Girard I used to teach a course called The Architecture of Human Identity. I was very interested in the fact that by knowing who we are, we take some authorship in who we become. Certain people believe Continue reading
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Mass Society and Pop Science
Everything that is delivered on the platforms of the mass market hides such erosion from view. Many have argued that such an opacity in global finance and large tech companies has been an essential component in the widening gap between rich and poor. Continue reading
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Late Comedians Invite us to the Human Condition
Late Comedians Invite us to the Human Condition “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh; otherwise, they’ll kill you.” (Oscar Wilde) I like making other people laugh. Sometimes it is with a question; sometimes it is with a play on words; sometimes it is in highlighting the presence of irreconcilable absurdity. Continue reading
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Human Time Can Mean Anything
“Effective altruists, … say the threat of artificial intelligence is that it may someday become conscious…. The Right to Be Lazy suggests that machines have already been used to that end for nearly 250 years.” Yet a machine cannot enjoy its time off. Continue reading
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Work: The Technocratic Perversion of Human Life
Technocratic capitalism can either overrun humanity or it needs to be forced back into its lane. Continue reading
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The 2023 Thai Election: Agency… for Agency
The Move Forward’s political agenda of demilitarization, de-monopolization, and decentralization (3D) is thus key to an understanding of what is different in Thai politics. Continue reading
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Elections and a Pragmatic Swing
I am a political pragmatist and for good reason. There is a perfect storm of historical factors that presses a pragmatic political orientation upon us. Continue reading
About me: I am a career educator and traveler at heart. My written work includes academic writing in philosophy and linguistics, English acquisition, and most intently in the areas of spiritual engagement with reality and what that means for our public lives.
My education is a mixture of formal study in philosophy, political theory, Biblical studies, and history, along with professional teaching certification in TESOL and in cognitive testing, and international teaching.
My travel experiences include a range of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. I have lived in Canada, the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand. From those places I have traveled to many others besides.
I am a child of the 70’s and a “family man.” That means I have two wonderful kids who have been round the world with me.
Lastly, I am married to a wonderful woman since 2004. She is my partner, my friend, and my muse.
Thanks again for stopping by,
Raymond Klassen - Ideals and Identities 