The Playing Field

Sport and Culture Through the Lens of Science

Steven Kotler is the author of West of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origins of Belief. His magazine writing has appeared in more than 31 publications. See full bio

October 11, 2009

Does Hope Trump Racism: The Peculiar Pickle of Obama's Nobel Prize

Does Hope Trump Racism And More Reasons Why The Spat Over Obama's Nobel Prize Is Bunk. Read More

September 3, 2009

Cannibalism or Dinner?

Ranomafana is located on the southeastern side of Madagascar, at the edge of what is called the "High Plateau," a steep, mountainous region so inhospitable it was all but unexplored. There are seven remote Malagasy villages surrounding Ranomafana. This was not easy walking. Read More

July 24, 2009

Nicholas Kristof Is Beginning To Annoy Me

Yup, it's true, Nicholas Kristof really is beginning to annoy me. The New York Times Op-Ed correspondent has written a number of recent articles bemoaning the dangers of phthalates- a troubling class of chemicals nearly ubiquitous in modern life. Read More

July 8, 2009

The Real Deathapalooza

It's been a good month for death. Michael Jackson has left us and left us to ponder the eternal question-what is the sound of one glove clapping.

He has also left us to ponder and even bigger question: why do we care so much?
Read More

June 29, 2009

The Paradox of Eco-Choice

In his 2004 The Paradox of Choice, Swarthmore psychologist Barry Schwartz lays out an idea that is difficult to understand for most modern Americans.

Quite simply, Schwartz believes there are to many choices in our lives.
Read More

June 17, 2009

The Lie of Miles-Per-Gallon And Other Things I'm Starting To Dislike About The Obama Administration

Two weeks back, there was a rousing bit of good news out of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Read More

June 15, 2009

Should We Tell Our Children That Reality Is A Lie?

I got an interesting email this morning from Peder Johnson. Johnson, a now-retired University of New Mexico cognitive psychologist has been promoting a constructivist epistememology since he first became acquainted with Piaget's work back in the 1970s. It's an epistemological position somewhere between objective realism and solipsism. According to constructivists, all we know are our mental experiences, which are only constrained by reality. There is no means by which we can contact reality directly and, therefore, we can never evaluate its real validity. In short, we live in a fantasy of our own devising. Read More

June 5, 2009

Why Nations Have Become A Bad Idea

Let me ask you a question—tomorrow you have to go to war with New Zealand. I know, Kiwis are lovely people, but still, there's no getting out of it. But you have a choice-you get to have one ally. You can have a) Bulgaria or b) Microsoft. Country or corporation-take your pick. Read More

May 29, 2009

How Much Affection Is Normal?

Affection might be natural, but how much is natural is the question? Read More

May 17, 2009

Is Happiness Heritable—And, If So, Heritable From Whom?

The latest issue of Bioscience Hypothesis contains an article by Dr. Alberto Halabe Bucay of the Research Center Halabe of Darwich, Mexico which suggests that the hormones and neurochemicals resulting from our mental states can profoundly effect germ cells. Read More

Sport and Competition Basics

From schoolyard chants to Super Bowl championships, playful competition finds its way into nearly all aspects of culture. Fighting to win draws on cooperation, concentration, coordination, and creativity--things worth striving for in their own right. That's why sports are more than just fun and games.

Go to the Sport and Competition Basics page for more on Sport and Competition including:

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