There is a tendency to fear new technology. That instinct is almost always wrong. Progress comes from improving how we produce, think, and communicate. Artificial intelligence is simply the next—and perhaps the most powerful—step in that progression. At its core, AI is an efficiency engine. It reduces friction. It accelerates thinking. It turns hours into…
Author: Carl Barney
Happy Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day Reflections Love is a profound and joyful emotion. However, it is more than an emotion—it is a recognition and appreciation of the value someone or something adds to our lives. Love brings joy and meaning. Love creates bonds that enrich our lives. Love is also action—things we do to nurture and cherish. My…
Valentine’s Day: The Greatest Love of All
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day—a celebration of love. There’s a lovely song, “The Greatest Love of All,” by Whitney Houston, also sung by Jane Oliver. Here are the lyrics with my comments in parentheses. Everybody’s searching for a hero… (be your own hero).People need someone to look up to… (look up to yourself).I never found anyone…
Am I Capable of Erotic Love?
Valentine’s Day is coming. So… “Are you capable of erotic love?” Jason Stotts asks in his book, Ethos and Eros. Who? Me? Let me think. What qualities would I need to bring to and for a loving romantic relationship? Can I live up to this and be worthy of a romantic partner? More on Valentine’s…
INTELLECTUAL DYSFUNCTION
I confess, when I first read Objectivism, I was rationalistic and somewhat ultracrepidarian. Okay, I know: “ultracrepidarian” has seven syllables and is a tongue-twister. But if you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, you can say ul tra crep i dar i an; and it’s the only word that really fits. It means: one who expresses opinions, criticism,…
Christmas Goodwill
One Christmas, I called a dear friend to wish him Merry Christmas. Years earlier, I’d made him what I call a pre-quest—a bequest given while someone (me) is still alive. I write about this in my book, The Happiness Experiment. I called it a Happiness Grant because that was the point. He’d been worried about money…
The Mistake of “Finding Your Purpose in Life”
People often say they want to “find their purpose in life”. That mindset is a mistake. Life is too rich, varied, and complex to be reduced to a single purpose. According to Ayn Rand[1], happiness is the highest moral purpose of human life. That means that happiness is a lifelong purpose. It’s no accident that…
Happiness Begins at Home
My book, The Happiness Experiment, describes making Gratitude Grants to 20 of thebeneficiaries in my Will. Rather than waiting until I died to give them a bequest, I brought thebequest forward and made it a pre-quest. I offered each of these 20 people a large sum ofmoney. I wanted to be sure the money would…
#1 Bestseller Follow Up
A few days ago, I shared the exciting news that The Happiness Experiment became a #1bestseller. Today, I’d like to share why I’m so passionate about promoting this book and why Iplan to sell millions of copies. I have two main reasons: First, the concept of pre-quests, giving while living, is a meaningful innovation. The…
#1 Bestseller
I’m pleased to share the exciting news that my book, The Happiness Experiment, is starting tohit the bestseller lists. It is currently ranked #1 in hardcover on the USA Today bestseller list, and #13 overall amongthe top 150 books – across paperback, hardcover, fiction, and nonfiction. The Happiness Experiment is #3 on Barnes & Noble’s…