Are We Merely Prisoners Of Our Biochemistry? (What About Reason?)

Because our thoughts and actions are the products of our brains, and because what our brains do is determined by the physical state of the world and the laws of physics—perhaps with a dash of quantum randomness in the mix—there seems to be no room for choice. As the author and neuroscientist Sam Harris has put it, we are “biochemical puppets.”

Cossacks Beat Pussy Riot With Horsewhips in Sochi

The balaclava-clad Russian rockers were just starting a protest song in front of an administrative building in downtown Sochi when members of a Cossack militia (brought into town as extra security for the Winter Olympics) attacked them with whips and pepper spray. The song: “Putin Will Teach You How to Love the Motherland”. (includes photos and video)