Weekly Insight for Thinkers
Weekly Insight for Thinkers
Science  Philosophy  Critical Thinking  History  Politics RW  AI  Physics  •  Evolution  Astronomy 30 Phil Book More…
Curated by Michael Alan Prestwood.
NATURAL PHILOSOPHER
Exploring science-first philosophy.
Need more? ➤

Weeky Wisdom Builder

Wed 7 Jan 2026
Key Ideas Edition
Wed 7 Jan 2026 Key Ideas Edition

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

5 Minutes Per Week
It's Free! No ads! No catches.
This Week’s Idea
— Flux —
Flux is impermanence. To think about this idea, think about change. The universe, your things, and you.
This week’s essay:
Story of the Week
Heraclitus
born circa 535 BCE
circa 535 to 475 BCE, likely aged about 60 years old
Heraclitus lived around 500 BCE in the Greek city of Ephesus, and he saw something most people miss: nothing ever truly stands still. Rivers flow. Fires burn. Lives change. Even the things that look solid are only holding their shape for a while. Heraclitus wrote in sharp, almost cryptic fragments, not essays, which earned him the nickname the Dark Philosopher. But beneath the mystery was a clear idea—reality is not made of fixed things, but of processes in motion. Order still exists, he argued, but it comes from tension and balance, not permanence. Two and a half millennia later, physics quietly agrees.
Quote of the Week
“Everything is in flux.”
Heraclitus’ claim that “everything is in flux” captures a deep truth shared by both metaphysics and classical physics. The world appears stable only because change often happens gradually. Beneath every solid object, fixed identity, and steady law lies continuous motion, transformation, and becoming. What endures is not stillness, but patterned change.
Weekly Crossroads: Key Ideas
Wisdom at the crossroads of knowledge.

Wisdom emerges from the consistent exploration of the intersections of philosophy, science, critical thinking, and history.

1START: Science »

Will the night sky have stars nearly forever?
Our galaxy is part of the Local Group, over 50 galaxies, gravitationally bound, forever.

2Philosophy »

What does existence before essence mean?
In metaphysics, existence before essence means humans are born first, without a predefined purpose, and only later form their identity.

3Critical Thinking »

Is cause and effect certain?
Cause and effect feel certain because experience trains us to expect patterns. Hume pointed out that just because something always happens in our experience doesn’t mean it must happen.

4History!

Who were the Presocratic Philosophers?
In ancient grecoroman times, the word sophist shifted from a respected label to a pejorative.
Inspired?
Take the deep dive.
Article of the Week
Updated This Week
History
Article
Echoes of the Self: Exploring Consciousness Across the Ages
Consciousness
Consciousness, at its most basic, is the act of cognition engaging with sensory input. When an organism can take in information and process it, consciousness is present. Self-awareness, reflection, emotion, and identity are later developments—important, but not required for consciousness itself. Consciousness is the state of being aware—of the world, of oneself, and of experience itself. Across history, it has been described as soul, mind, spirit, or brain process. While explanations evolve with knowledge, the core phenomenon remains: subjective experience arising within a thinking organism.

Thanks for reading!

TouchstoneTruth.com
That’s it!
That’s the key ideas home page edition.
Next set of ideas drops Wednesday at 3PM PST.

More versions:

And of course, click titles when inspired.

Need more? ➤
TouchstoneTruth
Curated wisdom for a world in motion!

At TouchstoneTruth, ideas matter. Explore the power of wisdom and discover how empirical thinking can lead to a better understanding of our world—and a better life.

Deep-Dive Articles
American CentricBook-30 PhilosophersEthics

No Kings Has Deep Historical Roots

Recent protests reflect the timeless struggle to limit power and oppression using checks and balances.
Particle PhysicsUnification

The Double‐slit Experiment Explored

Reality may not be particles afterall. It may be more like waves, vibrations, or strings.
Artificial Intelligence

Philosophy: The Existence and Essence Debate

In religion and philosophy, the existence and essence debate asks if you exist before your time on Earth.
Epistemology

Pragmatism and Pythagoras

Pythagoras exemplifies rational pragmatism, balancing empirical insights with mystical beliefs. He reminds us that even flawed ideas can spark progress.
Cognitive Biases

The Fermi Paradox is Too Anthropocentric

The Fermi Paradox is the common framework for thinking about the odds of alien life, but we need more data before it can become accurate enough to be useful.
Updated Articles
Scroll to Top