I feel the gods are pretty dead, though I suppose I ought to know that however, to be somewhat more philosophical in the matter, if atheism means simply not being a theist, then of course...

Names, once they are in common use, quickly become mere sounds, their etymology being buried, like so many of the earth’s marvels, beneath the dust of habit.

Wandering is the activity of the child, the passion of the genius; it is the discovery of the self, the discovery of the outside world, and the learning of how the self is both “at...

Unless followed by the world ‘education’, liberal has now lost this meaning [seeking knowledge or doing something for its own sake — i.e. ‘freely’ with no exterior motive]. For that loss, so damanging to the...

To wander is to be alive.

The term satipaṭṭhāna can be explained as a compound of sati, “mindfulness” or “awareness”, and upaṭṭhāna, with the u of the latter term dropped by vowel elision. The Pāli term upaṭṭhāna literally means “placing near”,...

The word “travel” comes from the Old French word “travail” (or “travailler”), which means “to work, to labor; a suffering or painful effort, an arduous journey, a tormenting experience.” (“Travel,” thus, is “a painful and...

Where would you be without etymology’? Lea asked sarcastically.’I think I might find words a little less interesting,’ said Mr Ruche.

The bridge between the words glamour and grammar is magic. According to the OED, glamour evolved through an ancient association between learning and enchantment.

the thunderer/earthshaker,” Poseidon, the fallen — or, better still, suspended, mediating — aspect of God!

Etymologically, ‘compassion’ means to suffer together. ‘Together,’ however, is different from ‘identically.’ Compassion is not the same as selflessness, and not really the opposite of selfishness. Rather, it provides a basis for helping other people...

Refer me to one atheist who denies the existence of God…. Etymologically, as well as philosophically, an atheist is one without God. That is all the ‘A’ before ‘Theist’ really means.

The author relates that the word “OBSCENE” springs from the concept in Greek drama that certain actions would be performed outside the scene or off the stage. He clarifies that the Greeks did not shy...

If you look up ‘atheism’ in the dictionary, you will probably find it defined as the belief that there is no God. Certainly many people understand atheism in this way. Yet many atheists do not,...

The word ‘sin’ is derived from the Indo-European root ‘es-,’ meaning ‘to be.’ When I discovered this etymology, I intuitively understood that for a [person] trapped in patriarchy, which is the religion of the entire...