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💪 Wisdom Builder: Science

Knowledge in Motion

--Observation--

Natural philosophy begins with science.

Science

Observe and measure.

Recent Tidbits:

Stories, Quotes, and FAQs.

The wisdom builder tidbits that feed the columns, articles, and trainer.
SCIENCE
Featured Story
Science
Story
Jul 1632
Relativity Principle
Relativity Principle
From Galileo to Einstein, the relativity principle changed how we think about motion. No uniformly moving observer gets a privileged view of reality. Einstein extended this idea beyond mechanics to all physics, including light, helping reveal that space and time themselves depend on the observer’s motion.
Featured QUOTE
Philosophy
Quote
“We are all connected to each other biologically, to the Earth chemically, and to the rest of the universe atomically.”
We Are Stardust
Carl Sagan had many similar quotes to this.
Carl Sagan reminds us that we are intimately connected to the universe. The particles that form our bodies are borrowed from a cosmic pool of just 17 particles and four forces. Even more humbling, the molecules within us were forged in the hearts of stars, linking us directly to the vast cosmos that surrounds us. The wise perspective is humbling: we are not separate things dropped into the cosmos—we are temporary arrangements of the cosmos itself.
Featured FAQ
New This Week
Science
FAQ
What does the TST Roadmap tell us about AI superintelligence?
Superintelligence & Ethics
The TST Roadmap treats good judgment as a recursive process: guidance, choice, action, results, and adjustment. AI may follow a similar path. Thousands of specialized agents could cooperate, test ideas against reality, preserve successful discoveries, and improve future decisions. Superintelligence may ultimately be about organized learning, not simply one incredibly smart machine.
Updated Tidbits
Science
Story
Internal Fluid Transport in Early Animals
Scale and Complexity
09 Sep 2026
(Updated 9 hours ago)
THINK WELL
Story
Retroviruses (within Riboviria)
Evolutionary Innovation
09 Sep 2026
(Updated 9 hours ago)
Critical Thinking
FAQ
Does the absence of evidence prove anything?
God of the Gaps
08 Aug 2026
(Updated 2 weeks ago)
No more posts to show
Science
Observe & Measure
Good philosophy emerges from science.

Our Clearest Lens of Reality: New looks at scientific results with a focus on the philosophical. To understand reality beyond the empirical, you must first understand what we see.  At the core of what we see is the cosmos guided by forces controlling particles evolving into life. 

Note: To explore the process of science, visit Philosophy of Science tab under Truth Hammers in our Critical Thinking topic. 

Deep-Dive Articles
TST COLUMN
29 Dec 2024
Debut
Philosophy
Article
The Fermi Paradox is Too Anthropocentric
Fermi Paradox
Sun 29 Dec 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
TST COLUMN
30 Oct 2024
Debut
Philosophy
Article
Building Tomorrow’s AI: The Rise of LLMs and Inference
AI Approaches
Wed 30 Oct 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 5 months ago.
TST COLUMN
05 Jun 2024
Philosophy
Article
Speculative Ideas in Science: Rip-Bang, Bigfoot, and Beyond
Idea Theory Framework
Wed 5 Jun 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
TST COLUMN
01 Jan 2028
Philosophy
Article
The Nature of Time
Time
Sun 2 Jun 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 5 months ago.
TST COLUMN
29 May 2024
History
Article
Dawn of Humanity: Sapiens in Their First Millennia
Ancient Humans
Wed 29 May 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 4 months ago.
No more posts to show
Must-Reads
TST COLUMN
23 Feb 2025
Debut
Science
Article
The Double‐slit Experiment Explored
Wave-Particle Duality
Sun 23 Feb 2025
(2 years ago)
Updated 5 months ago.
TST COLUMN
06 Jul 2024
History
Article
The Evolution of Vocabulary in Ancient Humans
Communication Origins
Sat 6 Jul 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 4 months ago.
TST COLUMN
01 Oct 2027
Philosophy
Essay
Consciousness: From the Soul to the Abyss
Consciousness
Sun 7 Apr 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
New Ideas
TST COLUMN
21 Aug 2024
Debut
Science
Article
Speculation on Quantum Entanglement: A Missing Mass Puzzle
Missing Mass Problem
Wed 21 Aug 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 5 months ago.
TST COLUMN
01 Aug 2024
Debut
History
Paper
Holistic Paleolithic Framework: A New Look at Prehistory
Paleolithic Era
Thu 1 Aug 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
TST COLUMN
28 Apr 2024
History
Article
EQ: The Story of Ancient Human Brains
Brain Evolution
Sun 28 Apr 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 4 months ago.
Updated Articles
TST COLUMN
21 Jan 2026
History
Article
The Universe Before the Telescope
Astronomy
Thu 11 Apr 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
TST COLUMN
01 Apr 2023
Debut
THINK WELL
Article
Researching Evolutionary Traits: The Occam Approach
Evolution
Sat 1 Apr 2023
(3 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
TST COLUMN
01 Jul 2024
Debut
Critical Thinking
Article
Terrence Howard: Debunking Terryology
Terryology
Mon 1 Jul 2024
(2 years ago)
Updated 2 months ago.
No more posts to show
Explore Science-first Philosophy
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY
Science-first philosophy with one goal: flourishing for all. It begins with the split between reality and thought, then adds tools for thinking clearly and living legal, moral, and fair. That fairness includes accepting that others will hold their own religious beliefs.
Science-first philosophy with one goal: flourishing for all. It begins with the split between reality and thought.
TWO PATHS
Today's Thought
Truth is not a destination we possess, but a path we walk—with evidence beneath us and wonder above.
Subscribe to add a bit of science and philosophy to your life.

One central idea each month. Imagine adding 12 life-changing ideas to your worldview each year. The column is just the starting point. The supporting research includes tidbits and a deep-dive article. Build wisdom at your pace with the TST Trainer, listen on the road, and dig deeper when you can. When inspired, share your opinions, questions, or pushback here on TST.

One central idea each month. Imagine adding 12 life-changing ideas to your worldview each year. Build wisdom at your pace with the TST Trainer, listen on the road, and dig deeper when you can. When inspired, share your opinions, questions, or pushback here on TST.

The Prestwood Column
September 2026
The Prestwood Column
Sep 2026

THIS MONTH: Flourishing.

By Michael Alan Prestwood
Your flourishing is tied to the flourishing of others. Living well means treating others as agents with lives, needs, and struggles as real as your own.
LISTEN NOW!
Listen to the column, or the research behind it.
Column 2 of 8 in the series.
Walking the journey of life.

Column Research

Stories: Science Philosophy Critical Thinking History Big Bang Metaphysics Evolution Biases Futurism Ancient History Ethics Reasoning

1 Essay + 6 Tidbits
1 Focus
Plus a bonus deep-dive article.
This Month:
— Flourishing —
Ethical life begins when we refuse to reduce others and instead recognize them as fellow agents whose flourishing is bound up with our own.
Greetings!

This month we explore flourishing as the moral direction you should pursue carefully. The central distinction is this:

Flourishing for All is the north star, not an automatic calculator.

–Michael Alan Prestwood
6 Research Tidbits
Wisdom Builder Crossroads
The research, stories, and questions that inform this issue.

1 Story »

Hume’s Is–Ought Problem
1741
David Hume
Good thinking separates facts from values. When an argument moves from what is true to what we ought to do, look for the hidden value premise.

2 Quote »

“I meet with no proposition that is not connected with an ought, or an ought not.”
The is–ought problem: You cannot move from what is to what ought to be without a value premise. Good reasoning makes that hidden step explicit.

3 Science »

Can science prove flourishing should be our goal?
Science can test what supports flourishing, but it cannot by itself prove that flourishing ought to be our goal. Philosophy states the value; science tests whether our actions actually move us toward it.

4Philosophy »

What is the difference between a normative aim and a normative directive?
A normative aim is the goal; a normative directive is the rule. The rule helps you act in a way that supports the goal.

5Critical Thinking »

Is flourishing for all just utilitarianism?
Similarity is not identity. Flourishing for all cares about consequences and human well-being, but unlike utilitarianism, it does not reduce morality to maximizing total welfare.

6History!

What is the history of the idea of flourishing in philosophy?
From Aristotle through modern virtue ethics and capabilities theory, philosophers have repeatedly returned to the idea that a good life means more than pleasure—it means living and functioning well.
Take the deep dive.
Linked Article
Updated This Week
Philosophy
Paper
TST Normative Ethics: Flourishing as a Philosophical Goal
Ethics
The paper defends a relational account of ethics in which flourishing depends partly on how persons regard and respond to the agency of others. Anger, reduction, reciprocity, and boundaries are treated not as peripheral concerns, but as central to ordinary moral life. In this way, TST Ethics places relationships—not abstractions alone—at the heart of ethical theory.
The Prestwood Column
Menu
September 2026
Column Research….
1. Timeline Story
Hume’s Is–Ought Problem
2. Linked Quote
“I meet with no proposition that is not connected with an ought, or an ought not.”
3. Science FAQ »
Can science prove flourishing should be our goal?
4. Philosophy FAQ »
What is the difference between a normative aim and a normative directive?
5. Critical Thinking FAQ »
Is flourishing for all just utilitarianism?
6. History FAQ!
What is the history of the idea of flourishing in philosophy?
Bonus Deep-Dive Article
TST Normative Ethics: Flourishing as a Philosophical Goal

TST Archive

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A Science-First Book about the Ideas That Shape Us

30 Philosophers: A New Look at Timeless Ideas explores how human understanding has evolved — from ancient questions to modern scientific thinking.

Written by natural philosopher Michael Alan Prestwood, the book blends philosophy, science, and history into clear, human stories focused on explanation over authority and meaning over memorization.

For those who value better thinking over being right.

The Book Video
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